Protect Your Brain: The Lifesaving Power of Carotid and Transcranial Doppler Ultrasounds

Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in the United States. One in six deaths due to cardiovascular disease is because of a stroke. A stroke kills brain cells, can rob you of basic functions, and may end your life.

An acronym that helps you identify and get treatment for a stroke gives you a sense of how quickly a stroke can debilitate or kill you: B.E.F.A.S.T. Remember these signs and symptoms so you can get emergency help for yourself or a loved one right away:

• B - Balance problems
• E - Eye changes or loss of vision
• F - Facial drooping
• A - Arm numbness or weakness
• S - Slurred speech or confusion
• T - Time to call 911

While it’s important to know and follow B.E.F.A.S.T., an even better strategy is to identify conditions that could cause stroke and initiate treatment to prevent one in the first place. That’s where carotid artery and transcranial Doppler screening comes in.

Board-certified neurologist Dr. Farhad Elyaderani offers carotid artery and transcranial Doppler ultrasound screening to identify problems in your carotid artery and cerebral arteries that could raise your risk for a stroke. He then custom designs a treatment and prevention plan at our New Rochelle and Yonkers, New York, offices.

When should you consider the lifesaving power of a carotid artery and transcranial screening? Read below to find out how these powerful diagnostic tools can save your life, safely and easily. 

Who needs transcranial and carotid ultrasonography?

Anyone who’s at an increased risk for a stroke should undergo this simple, noninvasive screening test. The need for screening is even greater if you have more than one risk factor, such as:

• Obesity
• Atherosclerosis
• Smoker
• High alcohol use
• Coronary artery disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Family history of stroke
• Family history of heart disease
• Recent personal history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• A bruit (i.e., type of sound) in arteries heard with a stethoscope

If you’re at all concerned about a potential stroke, due to injury, aging, or personal history and habits, you can feel confident that the test is harmless and painless. There’s nothing to lose if you have a transcranial or carotid artery ultrasound. And you could save your life.

You won’t be exposed to radiation or surgery

Both carotid and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography screening tests are radiation-free. These advanced methods use the power of sound waves (i.e., ultrasound) to allow Dr. Elyaderani to look into your carotid and transcranial arteries.

Doppler ultrasonography uses a transducer that sends sound waves through your skull and brain, where they reflect off tissues such as the walls of your arteries. The transducer then transmits these bounced sound waves to a computer and a monitor, where your doctor can visualize in magnified, 3-D real time what’s going on inside important blood vessels.

What the ultrasound tells your doctor

The ultrasound lets your doctor examine how freely blood flows through your carotid and transcranial arteries. If your arteries are narrowed due to plaque buildup or scarring, he’ll be able to identify the location of these blockages.

The ultrasound is so sensitive that it can even identify micro-emboli — tiny blood clots that raise your risk for a recurrent stroke or TIA. The test takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to complete. 

What are the next steps?

If Dr. Elyaderani doesn’t detect any narrowing or blockages in your arteries, then you can rest easy that you’re not at increased risk for a stroke. However, he may still recommend lifestyle changes — such as a healthy diet, plenty of exercise and sleep, and weight loss.

If the radiologist and Dr. Elyaderani have detected abnormalities on your ultrasound, Dr. Elyaderani will recommend a treatment plan. If you only have slight narrowing, lifestyle changes alone may be enough to improve your arterial health.

However, if you have severe atherosclerosis or other abnormalities, he recommends additional treatments. These may include one or more of the following:

• Statins to lower cholesterol
• Blood-pressure medication
• Anticoagulants to prevent blood clots
• Carotid angioplasty and stenting to open narrowed arteries

Dr. Elyaderani may also order a sleep-breathing test to determine whether you have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea robs your brain of oxygen while you sleep, putting you at greater risk for stroke. If you have sleep apnea, you may need to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to ensure you breathe freely and that your brain receives oxygen as you sleep. 

Would you like to know your risk for a stroke, so you can either have peace of mind or get the preventive treatments you need? Phone our team today for a carotid artery or transcranial Doppler ultrasound today or request an appointment online.