Vascular Screening

Vascular Screening

Abdominal aneurysms, carotid artery disease, peripheral artery disease develop in patients with risk factors of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood.

Carotid artery disease and peripheral artery disease are due to a narrowing of these arteries by plaque. The hardening of the aorta by atherosclerosis can lead to an aneurysm (a stretched and bulging section in the wall of the aorta). These conditions are symptomless for a long period of time and therefore must be pro-actively detected, because when symptoms occur it could be too late as those symptoms are often very severe. Their detection is easy using only Ankle Brachial Index and Doppler Ultrasound, 2 inexpensive and non-invasive tests proposed by FV Hospital.

Main risk factors for atherosclerosis are smoking, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and other lipid disorders.

Patients with risk factors should be screened once a year when they are above 50-year old; some patients with severe risk factors should be screened when they are younger.