Carotid Ultrasound

Carotid ultrasound is a painless diagnostic imaging test that shows the degree of plaque buildup in the arteries leading to the brain, face and neck. This is an approximately 30-minute procedure in which you lie on your back as a technician or your doctor glides a hand-held transducer device over the skin on each side of your neck where the carotid arteries are located. The transducer emits ultrasound energy waves that you will neither feel nor hear as they echo off of the structures in the neck and create images on a computer screen. Some carotid ultrasound procedures include Doppler ultrasound, which has the added capability of showing arterial blood flow.