Carotid artery color Doppler ultrasound can examine the degree of carotid artery sclerosis, the presence of plaque formation, and the degree of carotid artery stenosis. It can be used to evaluate and diagnose the degree of sclerosis of the whole body's blood vessels and whether there is vascular disease, guiding clinicians in medication use. The examination time for carotid artery color Doppler ultrasound is around 10 minutes, and generally, there will be no discomfort. Patients do not need to feel nervous and can relax.
The main indicators that can be detected by carotid artery color Doppler ultrasound include:
1. The degree of carotid artery sclerosis. Since the carotid artery is relatively superficial, it can be used as a detection window for whole-body vascular sclerosis. Through color Doppler ultrasound, the thickness of the carotid artery intima-media can be detected, and a thickness exceeding 9mm indicates atherosclerosis.
2. Carotid artery color Doppler ultrasound can detect whether there is plaque formation in the carotid artery, and can also distinguish whether the plaque is soft or hard, providing good guidance for clinical medication and prognosis judgments.
3. Arterial color Doppler ultrasound can also detect the degree of carotid artery stenosis. If the degree of arterial stenosis exceeds 75%, blood pressure should not be lowered excessively, as it may cause cerebral insufficiency. During the examination, patients generally do not experience discomfort. During pulsed Doppler ultrasonography, the ultrasound instrument will emit a "whooping" sound, which is the Doppler frequency shift signal generated by blood flow. Through this sound, doctors can determine whether the blood vessels are diseased, and patients do not need to be overly nervous. The entire examination process takes only ten minutes.
