CAROTID ARTERIES

Arteries are the blood vessels which take blood away from the heart and supply blood to various body parts. There are two carotid arteries found in the neck region which supply blood to the brain and face. Due to unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, fat deposits take place in all the blood vessels. This condition is called atherosclerosis. Colour Doppler study of Carotid arteries is done on an ultrasound machine with colour doppler function. In this study, the flow of blood in the twin arteries is measured alongwith Carotid Intima Mean Thickness (CIMT). This is the thickness of the walls of carotid arteries. Higher the CIMT value, narrower are the carotid arteries. When the blood supply to the face or brain is restricted, the chances of brain stroke are increased. Most of the times, the blood supply is restricted at the junction of the bifurcation of the carotid artery where one branch goes to the brain and the other branch goes to the face. This is the reason that most common stroke symptom is paralysis of one side of the face or one side of the body.

CAROTID COLOUR DOPPLER

Atherosclerosis of the Carotid arteries is treated in the same manner as Atherosclerosis of other blood vessels in the body. The patient can be put on healthy diet and strict exercise regimen. Blood thinners are prescribed and finally Angioplasty can be done to put a stent in the artery for restoring the blood supply. Every patient suffering from Heart Disease, Hypertension or Diabetes should get Carotid Doppler Study to find out the CIMT Values for both the arteries. Timely action can prevent a large number of strokes. Stroke is a very debilitating disease as the recovery of stroke patients is very late and very time consuming. The patient becomes dependent on others for even the basic functions of day to day life. CT Angiography of the Brain and Neck Vessels can also be done for finding out atherosclerosis of the Carotid arteries but the test is not only expensive but also requires the patient to have good kidney function. CT Scan also has harmful radiation which is not the case with Colour Doppler Study.

Costing and Appointment

The cost of carotid colour doppler is in the range of Rs. 3000 - 3500 at our different centres. Most of the radiologists are trained in doing Ultrasound Scans but not all the radiologists are comfortable in doing the colour doppler studies. Proper training and adequate experience is required for performing different types of colour dopplers. The ultrasound machine and its features also play a very important role in doing good quality colour doppler scans. Colour Doppler is actually a study of blood vessels in the body and achieves its objectives at a much lower cost than Contrast Angiography on CT Scan or MRI which also studies the flow of blood in the arteries and veins. Contrast CT Angiography of Neck Vessels would cost in the range of Rs. 10000- 12000. We have multiple centres in the NCR Region and you can get appointment at any of our centres by calling on the numbers +91-8800188334 / 8800188335 / 8800188336.