Carotid ultrasound for early detection of atherosclerosis

The article is expertly consulted by Master, Resident, Specialist I Trinh Le Hong Minh - Radiologist - Radiology Department - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

Vascular ultrasound is widely used to explore the entire vascular system, including the carotid artery. From there, it can support timely detection of cases of atherosclerosis, support timely diagnosis and treatment.

Carotid ultrasound is a safe and painless procedure for the patient. This is a modern diagnostic technique, based on images used by reflected ultrasound waves to create images similar to those of the blood vessels in the neck.
The carotid artery is a part that plays an extremely important role in the process of supplying oxygen-rich blood to our brain system. Therefore, diseases that can damage these two arteries will lead to many other dangerous diseases.
And based on the ultrasound images, the specialist doctors will detect the long-term accumulation of atherosclerotic plaques in the lumen of the carotid artery, causing narrowing of the carotid artery. These plaques are usually calcium, or cholesterol...
This is one of the main causes of obstruction of certain blood flow to the brain, increasing the risk of sudden stroke in the brain. patient. Therefore, performing carotid ultrasound is a necessary therapy to timely detect carotid atherosclerosis in order to find a timely treatment method, possibly using drugs or performing surgery to remove it. atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid artery.

The main purpose when performing carotid ultrasound is to create the most realistic images showing the entire narrowing of the carotid artery. Usually, doctors will order an order to perform this technique in cases such as:
Doctors hear a carotid murmur, and these may be the abnormal sounds that appear. present in the carotid artery, is a signal for the patient's carotid artery condition to be blocked and may be the greatest risk of stroke. The patient's medical history shows recent episodes of minor or minor seizures. The manifestations of a minor stroke are that the patient may appear some or all of the dangerous symptoms of a cerebrovascular accident. However, according to research, these symptoms usually disappear quickly within a period of 24 hours. There are signs of suspicion that the wall of the carotid artery is delaminating and tends to weaken, affecting the flow to the brain. In addition, carotid ultrasound may be indicated to check the patient's recovery after vascular surgery, for example: carotid artery, aorta, peripheral artery record...

In some special cases, this ultrasound method is also required for patients at high risk of stroke as a prophylactic test (mostly for patients over 70 years of age and suffer from a number of diseases such as: high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, ...). When carotid ultrasound is performed as a screening technique for stroke risk, doctors may combine it with other tests such as:
Abdominal ultrasound to check for aneurysms potential abdominal host, and enlarged or large aneurysm that supplies abundant blood to the pelvis, legs, and abdomen. Check the readings of the ankle, or arm, perform a comparison of blood pressure measured at one ankle or measure blood pressure in the arm, which can indicate cases of patient obstruction. blocked blood flow to the legs.

Usually, a carotid ultrasound takes about 15-30 minutes and is painless. Here are 3 typical steps when performing this procedure:
Step 1: Preparation
Prepare the ultrasound room: current ultrasound techniques are often performed in clinics or large hospitals, where Full range of machines and necessary ultrasound equipment, the main performers are doctors or technicians with high professional skills, able to handle any problems that may occur during the procedure. perform.
Check the operation of equipment and ultrasound machine system before performing carotid ultrasound technique on the patient.
The patient will be asked to lie on his or her back, with the chin slightly raised to expose the entire neck area to be scanned.
Step 2: Perform ultrasound
The patient will be applied a thin layer of gel on the neck, this is a common gel in current ultrasound techniques, used to help the transducer of the machine can move smoother and more supportive sound waves can reach the arteries better.
Scan the transducer on the gel layers, then the transducer will start emitting sound waves to go to the carotid artery area and proceed to reflect the image, contributing to the faithful reproduction of images and currents. display them on the computer screen.
After the end of the ultrasound, the patient will be wiped off this gel and can walk completely normally.
Step 3: Read the results
Through the observed images, the specialist will start to analyze and inform the patient about his current carotid condition, and give advice about the appropriate treatment for the patient.
Carotid artery disease is one of the dangerous diseases. Therefore, you should not be subjective, when you encounter any typical signs of the disease, see your doctor early so that you can be examined and receive a timely treatment plan, contributing to limiting the risks. cause a stroke, or stroke.

Vinmec International General Hospital is a high-quality medical facility in Vietnam, equipped with facilities according to 5-star hotel standards, bringing comfort to patients during examination and treatment. The equipment is very modern, imported from the US, Japan, the Netherlands... to help diagnose and treat quickly and effectively. The doctors are all very dedicated, professional, highly qualified, trained from abroad, rich in experience.
Before taking a job at Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital, the position of Doctor of Radiology since February 2018, Doctor Trinh Le Hong Minh used to work as a resident in the Radiology Department at Vinmec Central Park. hospitals: Cho Ray, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Oncology, People's Gia Dinh, Trung Vuong... from 2012-2015. Officially worked at Cho Ray Hospital from 2015-2016, City International Hospital from 2016-2018.