What does ultrasound (dopplerography) of the vessels of the head and neck show? Duplex scanning of the main arteries of the head (DS MAG)

Every day there is an improvement in various technologies and the emergence of more modern ones, including medical ones. When it comes to human health and accurate diagnosis his condition, the most qualitative examination is needed.

And for research cerebral vessels blood supply to the head requires extremely precise equipment. Nowadays, ultrasound MAG is used for such purposes - a non-invasive method of ultrasonic duplex scanning of arteries.

In order to understand the principle ultrasound scanning Let's consider what is main vessels is the main subject of research.

The brain is powered by two vertebral and two carotid arteries, they are considered paired and form a circle at the base of the brain. These are the main blood-supplying main arteries. And if there are pathologies of these vessels, the brain tissue will be subject to significant changes, which will necessarily affect the entire body. At severe atherosclerosis and lipid metabolism disorders, there is also a risk of serious conditions due to insufficient blood supply to the brain tissues.

So, the main vessels for study are the large arteries of the head and neck. In turn, the main vessels should be divided into areas of their location:

large arteries located at the entrance to the skull - extracranial area or department;
vessels located directly in the region of the skull and its bone canals.

What is the method of ultrasonic dopplerography of blood vessels?

Any changes concerning at least one artery entail a violation of normal blood circulation. The most accessible and accurate in this situation is the method of ultrasonic dopplerography of vessels.

talking plain language, UZDG MAG - ultrasound duplex examination of the largest arteries of the head, features of blood flow and its speed. In general, the procedure is a combination of the well-known ultrasound and the Doppler effect.

The principle of operation of the device is quite simple from a physical and mathematical point of view. During the procedure, changes in the frequency of the signal reflected from bodies in motion are recorded. The equipment is a kind of device with location characteristics, which, when scanning, captures any slightest changes and, thus, reveals the violations for which they are characteristic.

The main demanded and extremely effective methods ultrasound diagnostics vessels of the neck and head today are ultrasonic dopplerography (uzdg), scanning in duplex mode, color scanning, also called triplex mapping.

Usually, ultrasound magic and uzdg magician appointed at the following symptoms and diseases:

hypertension, high blood pressure;
acute violations of the cerebral circulation and necrosis of the brain with severe paresis and loss of sensitivity;
transferred acute coronary disorders circulation, stroke;
narrowing of the cerebral lumen of the arteries of the brain, atherosclerosis of the cerebral vessels;
arteriovenous malformation with manifestation of hemorrhages;
stroke with temporary neurological deficit;
violations of visual function;
osteochondrosis spinal column;
dizziness of unknown origin;
preparation for surgical intervention in the diagnosis of ischemia;
violations of the vestibular apparatus;
vegetovascular dystonia;
traumatic brain injury, head injury, cervical, soft tissues of the skull, concussion;
encephalopathy;
surgical interventions in the neck area;
hereditary defects of the spinal column and cervical region;
parallel chronic diseases aggravating diseases of the cerebral vessels, obesity, smoking addiction, diabetes mellitus.

Advantages of the Doppler method

Advantages of modern duplex method is as follows:

research is quite affordable for material costs;
the process does not differ in duration;
method does not deliver pain to the patient;
high accuracy in detecting negative symptoms.

Important about ultrasound thymus(thymus)

Ultrasound procedure duplex study allows early detection of the degree of damage to blood vessels by atherosclerotic deposits, the presence and different severity of arterial stenosis, the speed and characteristics of blood circulation.

Simple dopplerography concerns only vessels. If any violations are caused by reasons outside circulatory system, the device will not show this. However, when using more modern and high-precision duplex scanning, other causes of pathologies can be identified.

UZDG MAG magician allows the doctor to see the ongoing changes in the vessels themselves, put accurate diagnosis and prescribe the most effective treatment.

Indications for use this method are patients with arterial hypertension, angina attacks, chronic ischemia and atherosclerosis, patients with overweight body, osteochondrosis of the spine and its cervical region, with a myocardial infarction.

Patients with chronic addiction from smoking and after the age of 40-45 years, it is also recommended to pass ultrasound up to two times a year.

Even such seemingly minor disturbances as ringing in the ears, episodic disorders vision in the form of a veil, poor sleep, fainting, pain in the head, weakness in the upper and lower limbs should be recorded by a doctor and examined using MAG ultrasound. Not to mention more serious pathologies, such as impaired attention and memory, loss of consciousness, regular dizziness and impaired coordination of movements.

Ultrasound has its contraindications. The procedure is not recommended for patients with open wounds cervical spine.

Main goals of duplex ultrasound

The method of ultrasonic scanning is aimed at obtaining the necessary information to identify the degree of damage to the main main arteries heads. Hypodynamic changes detected by ultrasound MAG, which occur with low activity and mobility of a person, usually relate to cholesterol deposits. As a result, there is a deformation of the arterial walls in the form of their narrowing. Such a process can continue until the lumen is completely blocked by cholesterol, which will inevitably lead to impaired blood supply and ischemic disease of the heart muscle. This is very dangerous state threatening heart failure and myocardial infarction.

Thus, by means of duplex dopplerography, highly accurate information about the stage of the lesion can be obtained.

Combining the study of the condition of the arteries and the assessment of the speed and direction of blood flow, ultrasonic method allows you to diagnose not only the very fact of the presence of pathologies, but also the history of their origin, that is, the cause.

The main purpose of cerebral dopplerometry is to identify pathologies of the main functions of the main vessels of the brain and neck, caused by various reasons. This may be thrombosis and embolism, overgrowth of the vessel wall, compression of the lumen between the arteries and a violation of their patency.

The main indicators that are revealed during the procedure of ultrasound MAG

Scanning helps to identify:

quantitative and quality characteristics cholesterol deposits and blood clots;
the degree of damage to the arteries, the deformation of their shape;
the quality and degree of thickening of the walls of blood vessels and their loss of plasticity;
parameters of imbalance between vasoconstriction and endothelial vasodilation ( motor function arteries);
damage and integrity of the vascular walls;
the presence of aneurysms and their parameters;
the degree of violation and the size of the gaps in the walls of the arteries;
any condition that causes cerebral hypoxia due to circulatory disorders.

This procedure can also be assigned to monitor the quality medical therapy with disorders of the blood supply to the brain.

Color (triplex) scanning can provide the most complete picture of the extent of pathologies. In this case, with changes in the blood flow and its speed characteristics, the colors of the image also change. Thus, color Dopplerography gives the optimal number of changes and a better result on the state of blood circulation.

What is an ultrasound of the cervical spine?

How to prepare for the ultrasound MAG procedure

Patients who are assigned an ultrasound diagnostic method should, 24 hours before the procedure, refuse such dishes and products as natural coffee, energy drinks, tea, alcoholic drinks, pickles. It is better not to eat anything salty at all, as this may affect general tone vascular system and give misdiagnosis.

In addition, smoking and swimming should be avoided. hot water 2-3 hours before the examination.

Before the study, it is necessary to refuse to take some medications, but, as a rule, the doctor warns about this at a previous consultation.

Subject to these simple rules, the probing procedure will be the most accurate and will give maximum information.

How is an ultrasound scan performed?

The examination procedure itself takes from several minutes to one hour. The patient must undress to the waist and take horizontal position. The doctor uses a special acoustic gel for the procedure. This is done to make it easier to slide on skin, as well as for greater sound transmission.

During scanning, in order to maximize the scanning of all blood vessels head and neck, the patient needs to roll over on his side and on his stomach as directed by a specialist. Thus, external and internal large vessels are scanned - vertebral and carotid arteries, veins of the spinal column and jugular vessels.

Sometimes the doctor asks the patient to change the position to a vertical one, that is, to rise, hold the breath or take some medicine. Such tests are needed to identify a more complete picture of disorders and are used, most often, when there are certain hereditary pathologies of the vessels and their structure, for example, the absence of an internal carotid artery.

In practice, after the end of probing, a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and write a medical report based on the results of the examination.

The document will indicate the presence and description of the anomalies found, the direction and speed of blood movement, the condition of the vessels and their walls.

Since, during normal blood circulation, the vessels are not narrowed, there are no deposits and blood clots in them, the blood movement is not subject to turbulence, and the examination result is compared with normal characteristics vessels, the doctor can immediately see all the pathologies and disorders.

This study is considered safe and does not harm patients, so any person can use this diagnosis. age category. In some cases, ultrasonic sounding is used even for newborns and infants in need of an accurate diagnosis.

Ultrasound diagnostics in children

The Doppler ultrasound method is widely used in childhood diseases, especially in the field of vascular diseases of the nervous system. In addition, a violation of normal blood circulation often occurs in newborn children with postpartum hypoxia.

Ultra-precise diagnosis helps to detect pathologies at the earliest stages, and avoid the development severe conditions when a broken vessel can cause misfortune.

It is with the help of ultrasound that it is possible to recognize developmental defects and the subsequent occurrence of problems with the blood supply to the body based on symptoms such as headache in a child, a decrease in memory, attention and learning, chronic hypoxia due to congenital pathologies, vegetovascular dystonia.

When diagnosing childhood diseases, painless and safe procedure ultrasonic scanning is particularly relevant.

USDG of vessels head and neck (doppler ultrasound) modern method estimates cerebral circulation, which does not involve direct intervention in the body. He imagines special value in the field of diagnosing a group of cerebrovascular diseases that often lead to lethal outcome. This study provides the most reliable result with absence negative impact on the human body.

Ultrasound of the brain - combined method, combining the capabilities of ultrasound and studies based on the Doppler effect. The point of the latter is that sound wave reflected from a moving object. In medicine, this effect is expressed in the reflection of ultrasound waves from blood particles, which allows a specialist to assess the nature and speed of blood flow in cerebral arteries and veins.

In practice, the combination of two such valuable techniques as ultrasound and vascular Doppler allows you to build an image of the walls of the vessels, which is achieved using reflected ultrasonic waves, and at the same time demonstrate the movement of blood bodies along them in dynamics. The latter becomes possible with the help of dopplerography.

What do doctors determine using this diagnostic method?

The computer program combines the two obtained images and, as a result, a complete picture is created, reflecting the nature of the movement of blood through the veins and arteries.

This combined method is also called UZDG MAG - Doppler ultrasound of the main arteries of the head. Ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck examines the condition of the arteries that perform important function, nourishing brain tissue, as well as sleepy and vertebral arteries.

UZDG - worthy replacement invasive diagnostic measures (, arteriography), the implementation of which requires the supply of contrast agents into the blood.

The survey is carried out in two ways, depending on the area being examined.

Transcranial dopplerography of cerebral vessels (TCDG) is a technique that allows assessing the state of arterial and venous system located in the brain. Its peculiarity is the ability to examine blood vessels even if the cranial bones do not allow ultrasound to pass through them and obtain an image of areas of interest. In this case, specialists use acoustic windows - areas of the head through which ultrasonic waves can penetrate inside the skull. These are the eye sockets, the area of articulation of the cervical spine and the occipital bone, as well as temporal regions.

Survey of large cervical arteries

Dopplerography of extracranial vessels is a method for examining large cervical arteries. These include carotid, vertebral, jugular veins and subclavian arteries. This method is also known as BCS (brachiocephalic vessels) ultrasound.

Ultrasound dopplerography of the vessels of the head and neck can be carried out in two forms:

involves obtaining an image of the arteries and determining the parameters of blood flow.
Triplex scanning is a similar procedure, but with more extensive visualization capabilities: in the resulting image, the indicators of the direction and speed of blood flow are colored in different colors.

Advantages of the diagnostic method

USDG of the head is a method that provides reliable information about the state of all vessels, both large and small.

The advantages of such a method as Doppler examination of blood vessels are:

The versatility of the technique, which allows the study to be carried out regardless of the condition or age of the patient;
Lack of radiation exposure and penetration into the arteries;

Painless and safe ultrasound transducer used for examination

No need to inject into an artery contrast agent to visualize the results;
Painlessness;
The ability to assess not only the state of the vessels, but also the compensatory possibilities of blood circulation. In this case we are talking on the detection of bypass routes of blood flow, which are necessary in case of compression of the main vessel or thrombosis.

Another advantage of UZDG MAG is the absence of contraindications.

The ultrasound method allows you to assess the quality of blood circulation in the brain. In parallel, an ultrasound scan of the neck vessels is performed to get an idea of the state of the arteries supplying the brain with blood.

During the diagnosis, the specialist reveals:

Indicators of the patency of the vessel and the correspondence of its course to the normal trajectory;
The condition of the tissues surrounding the veins and arteries;
Vessel lumen diameter;
Anatomical features and elasticity of arterial walls.

With the help of ultrasound of the vessels of the neck and head, the following are determined:

To what extent was the blood flow disturbed due to the received craniocerebral injuries;
Factors of impaired blood supply to the brain;
Degree of damage to intracranial vessels early stage insufficient blood supply to the brain;

Vessels of the brain

Signs of early cerebrovascular lesions in individuals at risk of developing atherosclerosis and other vascular pathologies elevated;
Microembolism and stenosis of cerebral vessels;
Circulatory status during surgery.

Cases in which diagnostics is indicated

Ultrasound is diagnostic measure, which is shown when:

Frequent dizziness and migraine;
Deviations in the work of the heart;
Noise in the ears, head;
Injuries in the head or neck;
Diabetes;
convulsions;
Frequent fainting;

The doctor of ultrasound diagnostics Murat Medzhidovich Nagaplev tells about the indications for the examination:

Elevated blood pressure;
Varicose veins;
Osteochondrosis of the cervical region;
coronary disease hearts;
Defects of the heart muscle;
Kidney diseases;
An increase in blood cholesterol.

Persons over the age of 55 are recommended to undergo such diagnostic procedure, as Dopplerography of the vessels of the head and neck, at least once a year, if they have hereditary predisposition to the development of heart disease.

In addition, UZDG is necessary for smokers with experience.

The child should undergo this study if he has observed violations mental development or scoliosis. Other indications are trauma to the cervical vertebrae, fatigue and lethargy, and intrauterine anomalies cerebral vessels in children early age.

The duration of Doppler ultrasound of the brain vessels is about 25-35 minutes, the vascular system of the neck - from 20 to 25 minutes.

Preparation for the procedure and features of its implementation

There is no need to prepare for dopplerography of the vessels of the brain and neck. The only thing that is required from the subject is to refuse on the day of the ultrasound scan and on the eve of the use of certain products that affect vascular tone. These include tea and coffee, energy drinks, nicotine.

Before performing an ultrasound scan of the head, the patient should consult a doctor if he is taking any medications, and find out if there is a need to abandon them before the manipulation.

It was mentioned above that there are no contraindications to the study. However, the diagnosis may be difficult if the patient has a pronounced subcutaneous fat layer, there are peculiarities in the location of the vessel under study, or there is a violation heart rate.

Doppler examination of the vessels begins with the fact that the patient is laid on his back and throws his head back. Pre-palpation of the carotid arteries is performed, determining the depth, mobility, and strength of their pulsation. The specialist treats the skin areas and the sensor with a special gel that removes air between them and makes it possible for ultrasonic waves to pass through.

First, the vessels of the cervical region are examined. The specialist conducting the study applies the sensor to the necessary areas and moves it along the course of the arteries. During the ultrasound scan, the patient should not speak or move his head.

Next, ultrasound of the intracranial vessels is performed - those located in the cranial cavity. They are examined through the thinnest parts of the skull bones - the temporal and occipital bone, eye sockets, foramen magnum. In this case, the sensor is installed on the closed eyelid or above auricle.

A transducer attached to a specific area of the head or neck picks up the ultrasonic signal that bounces off an artery or vein and sends it to a monitor.

Interpretation of the received data

The interpretation of the results obtained during the ultrasound reflects such indicators as the lowest and high speed blood flow, the difference between these two parameters, the thickness of the vessel wall and its diameter.

For each indicator there is a certain norm. Thus, the minimum wall thickness of the artery should be 1 mm, the diameter of the vertebral arteries - 2 mm. The rule also implies that internal branch the carotid artery has no branches before entering the skull.

Detailed video about the results ultrasound diagnostics and data decryption:

The parameter obtained during the diagnosis may differ from the norm - in such cases, the doctor states that there is a violation.

After the decryption is done, the specialist can diagnose:

Non-stenosing or stenosing atherosclerosis;
Vasculitis;
Diabetes;
Hypoplasia of the vertebral arteries;
Extravasal compressions;
Thrombosis;

It should be noted that if it is required to determine the state of individual vessels (this may be a small vein or artery located in hard-to-reach places), additional angiography may be necessary.

The cost of ultrasound examination of the head and neck will be from 3,000 to 8,000 rubles.

It is necessary to distinguish the described diagnostic method - ultrasound - from. The essence of what event is that a low-frequency current is passed through the structures of the brain. Then, an image of the electrical resistance of the brain tissue is displayed on the monitor. The method shows the state and tone of blood vessels, the elasticity of their walls, the rate of blood flow into them. It can also be used to identify brain tumors.

Preparation for the REG procedure

Experts believe that similar method outdated and often replaced ultrasound examination.

Diagnostic method UZDG as the most informative in the field modern diagnostics allows you to objectively assess the indicators of blood flow to the brain and neck and, on the basis of this, make the correct diagnosis. You don't need to get tested special training, and during its implementation there will be no pain or discomfort. The procedure with a total duration of one hour will reveal serious pathologies and promptly determine the course of treatment.