Your doctor will ask you for a complete medical history and give you a physical exam.
Tip
If you have an allergy to X-ray dye, iodine or shellfish, please tell your doctor.
During your exam, your blood pressure, artery pulses and other measures of circulation will be checked. You will be asked if you have any of the symptoms and pain when you walk.
What tests may be ordered?
Doppler evaluation
A doppler probe is placed on your skin to tell if blood is flowing through an artery. This measures the blood pressure in your legs. You may be asked to walk on a
treadmill and then have the doppler check again.
Duplex imaging
Sound waves are bounced off your arteries to produce an image of the vessel that shows its size and shape, as well as any blockage.
Angiography and venogram
A special dye is injected into arteries or veins of your lower body. This X-ray procedure shows how blood is flowing, and provides detailed pictures of narrowed or blocked arteries and veins. You may feel a warm or burning sensation as the dye is injected.
