Aorto Iliac Duplex

The aorta is the largest artery of the human body carrying oxygen-rich blood from the heart to all parts of the body. As the aorta exits the left ventricle, it arches over the heart, descends down into the abdominal region where it splits to form two iliac arteries, which run down into each leg. Blockages or narrowing of this artery is termed aorto-iliac disease. This condition can be diagnosed with the help of a procedure called aorto-iliac duplex.

Duplex ultrasound is a process which combines regular ultrasound (produces images of organs) and Doppler ultrasound (produces images of blood flow through blood vessels) to show any damage, blockages or narrowing of the aorta and the iliac blood vessels affecting the flow of blood.

Duplex ultrasound is performed on an empty stomach so that the bowel gases do not disrupt the ultrasound. During the procedure, your will lie on a table and your doctor applies a gel to help transmit the ultrasound waves. The device consists of an ultrasound imager, a flow detector and a transducer to transmit the sound waves. Your doctor places the transducer on your abdomen to produce images of the aorta and then moves it down towards the legs to capture images of the iliac arteries. This test is completely safe and does not involve any complications.