Ultrasound examinations of head and neck vessels

Overview

At the Department of Neuroradiology, we use ultrasound to examine the head and the neck. The technique is useful for assessing the blood vessels in this region and to detect evidence of narrowing, occlusion, malformation or inflammation.

Special examinations

In addition to performing standard ultrasound examinations of the head, we also offer the following special techniques:

• Sonography of the carotid artery
• Color-coded duplex sonography of the carotid vessels (carotid Doppler)
• Transcranial duplex sonography (TCD)

Advantages and disadvantages

Sonography has many advantages: it does not negatively impact the patient’s health, does not involve radiation, and is pain-free. There are no risks associated with ultrasound.

Course of treatment

An external ultrasound is performed in several steps:

• First, the doctor applies a gel to the region they want to examine. The gel ensures good contact between the transducer and the skin. As a consequence, the sound waves penetrate the tissue better.
• The doctor places the ultrasound probe on the skin.
• They then move the transducer over the region to be examined while applying light pressure.
• On the monitor, the organs and tissues can be viewed from different directions and angles.

An ultrasound examination usually takes only a few minutes. It is pain-free and does not bear any risks.