The role of duplex scanning in the management of patients with atherosclerosis of the lower limb arteries
Keywords:
duplex scanning, peripheral arteriosclerosis obliterans, minimally invasive revascularizationAbstract
Permanent monitoring of hemodynamic changes by duplex Doppler ultrasound provides important information in selecting treatment tactics in patients with obliterating atherosclerosis of the lower limbs arteries, associated or not with diabetes mellitus. Aim of study was analysis of the role of duplex scanning in the management of patients with obliterating arteriosclerosis of the lower limb arteries, associated or not with diabetes mellitus. The study includes a literature review and analysis of own clinical observations performed on a.group of 100 patients with an average age of 62.3±8.2 years, admitted to the Municipal Clinical Hospital „Sf. Arhanghel Mihail”” during 2025. The group included 40 women and 60 men. Duplex evaluation included morphological analysis of the vascular wall, classification of atherosclerotic plaques, determination of the degree of stenosis and assessment of Doppler parameters, especially peak systolic blood flow velocity and resistance index. The results revealed the predominance of atherosclerotic lesions in male patients and an increase in the severity of stenosis with advancing age. A significant correlation was found between the degree of stenosis and changes in hemodynamic parameters, with peak systolic velocity progressively increasing in the area of stenosis and the resistance index decreasing distally. Monitoring of patients undergoing conservative treatment demonstrated, in most cases, an improvement in Doppler parameters, suggesting stabilization of the atherosclerotic process. Duplex scanning played an essential role in planning distal vascular reconstructions and in the early detection of postoperative complications, such as restenosis or shunt thrombosis.
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