Summit Medical Group offers 3 types of vascular screening to help detect silent vascular disease. Early detection can help identify and treat potentially debilitating vascular conditions and protect your health.

With a 10-minute screening, you can help prevent strokes, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms, and peripheral arterial disease. Screenings are painless procedures that use ultrasound technology. Registered vascular technologists perform them in an accredited vascular laboratory. A board-certified vascular surgeon will review your results, which are available immediately.

You should consider a vascular screening if you have any of the following risk factors:

• Age (60 years or older )
• Smoking
• Heart disease 
• High blood pressure or hypertension
• Diabetes 
• Obesity
• High cholesterol 
• Family history for strokes, abdominal aortic disease, and heart disease

Please also see Cardiology for information about a cardiovascular evaluation.

Important Facts About Vascular Events and Disease

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Symptoms include sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, inability to speak or understand speech, and loss of vision in one eye. Significant cholesterol deposits in the artery in the neck (carotid), which can be detected during vascular screening, cause most strokes. A vascular screening is potentially an important step in stroke prevention.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur when the major blood vessel (aorta) in the body expands and ruptures. The process is typically slow and silent; however, it can be prevented if it is detected early through vascular screening.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) occurs when cholesterol deposits block arteries in the legs. The condition can be painful when walking or at rest. PAD also can cause wounds to heal poorly. People with diabetes are especially prone to PAD. Vascular screening can help detect PAD blockages.