The procedure of performing ultrasound of the carotid and vertebral arteries

The article is expertly consulted by Master, Doctor Trinh Thi Phuong Nga - Radiologist - Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.

The carotid artery is a blood vessel that rises from the thoracic aorta to nourish the brain. The carotid artery consists of segments of the common carotid artery and then splits into two branches of the internal carotid artery and the external carotid artery in the neck above the thyroid cartilage, across the 4th cervical vertebra.
Atherosclerotic plaques form in the wall. The carotid artery reduces the amount of blood to the brain, creating a very dangerous carotid artery disease. If not detected and treated in time, it will cause a stroke and lead to death.
The older you get, the higher your risk of carotid artery disease. In people under 60 years old, the rate is only 1%, but in the elderly over 80 years old, the rate of carotid artery disease is up to 10%.

Ultrasound of the carotid and vertebral arteries is an easy, fast, convenient and accurate imaging technique to image the blood vessels in the neck.

The carotid artery has the important job of carrying blood to the brain to nourish the brain. Therefore, damage to the carotid artery will cause dangerous complications. Using the carotid and vertebral artery ultrasound method helps the doctor assess the condition of this vascular system and provide early treatment if there are signs of pathology.
Carotid and vertebral artery ultrasound is an easy, quick and low-cost method to perform and is the first choice of specialists when there is a suspicion of carotid artery disease.

The doctor will appoint the patient to perform an ultrasound of the carotid artery and vertebral artery in the following cases:
● The patient has signs of a mild, transient stroke or a history of stroke, signs of an ear attack. Mild changes may appear for no more than 24 hours and disappear soon after. It could be all of the symptoms of a stroke or some of it.
● The doctor hears abnormal carotid sounds during the examination.
There are suspicions of carotid artery wall weakness, bulging or dissection, atherosclerosis, or occlusion of the vertebral artery.
● Indicated to perform before and after surgery involving the aorta, carotid artery, coronary artery, peripheral artery...
● This method can be performed for large patients age, people have a high risk of stroke as a way of disease prevention, especially for adults over 70 years old with diseases such as: Diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia ...

● The patient has a neck injury.
● Patients with transient ischemia.
Transient blindness may be caused by carotid stenosis.

Usually, ultrasound in general and ultrasound of the carotid artery and vertebral artery in particular are painless and take a short time of about 20-30 minutes. Steps to perform carotid and vertebral artery ultrasound are as follows:
4.1 Prepare the patient The patient can be changed to perform the ultrasound easily, remove the neck jewelry according to the procedure. directed by Doctor.
The performing doctor will explain to the patient the ultrasound process so that the patient can coordinate smoothly, avoiding wasting time for both.
4.2 Perform carotid and vertebral artery ultrasound The patient lies on the ultrasound bed with the doctor's position, there will be a pillow to help the patient's neck slope down so that the long carotid area can be exposed. possible.

The doctor will apply a gel on top of the transducer to help the probe stick to the patient's skin surface, helping to obtain the clearest image.
The doctor will ask the patient to turn or tilt the direction so that it is convenient for the doctor to do.
Clean the patient's neck and complete the ultrasound.
4.3 Read the results to the patient After the ultrasound is done, the doctor will read the ultrasound results to the patient, inform the patient about the condition of the carotid artery, the vertebral artery and the treatment direction if there is a pathology. some.
Currently, one of the imaging methods to assess carotid and vertebral artery disease with high accuracy and reliability is Doppler ultrasound of the carotid and vertebral arteries. This method can be applied to all subjects, does not affect health and is being applied at Vinmec International General Hospital. This is also one of the medical facilities that put prestige and quality on the top, converging many good specialists.
Doctor Trinh Thi Phuong Nga is a radiologist with nearly 20 years of experience in diagnostic imaging. Currently, the doctor is working at - Department of Diagnostic Imaging - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.
Any questions that need to be answered by a specialist doctor as well as customers wishing to be examined and treated at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact Vinmec Health System nationwide or register online HERE.

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