Vascular Laboratory services

The Vascular Laboratory provides a variety of services to meet the needs of patients and vascular specialists in many of the UC Davis Medical Center’s care settings.

Many diagnostic studies are performed on an elective basis in the outpatient setting. These include studies for the initial diagnostic evaluation of vascular disease and follow-up studies that assess for disease progression or response to therapies.

The Vascular Lab now offers a vascular screening package for the detection of arterial disease. This package is available without the need for a physician referral, to people who choose to be screened for vascular disease. This limited examination consists of three components:

• Carotid artery duplex evaluation to determine the presence of significant carotid artery blockage.
• Abdominal aortic evaluation to screen for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
• Ankle/brachial indices to assess for arterial blockage in the legs.

A fully trained technologist performs examinations. The findings are reviewed and interpreted by a physician.

Please be aware that screening examinations may not be paid for by insurance. Vascular studies ordered by your physician usually are covered.

The Vascular Laboratory provides essential support for many of the hospital’s specialty services, including internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, trauma surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and others. A full-featured laboratory is located on the first floor of the main hospital, but almost all examinations can be done at the patient’s bedside, when needed.

Ultrasound imaging facilitates minimally invasive approaches for the treatment of certain types of vascular problems, including venous disease, treatment of pseudoaneurysms and guided vascular access.

UC Davis vascular surgeons routinely employ high-resolution ultrasound scanning and Doppler assessment of blood-flow during major vascular operations. By assuring an optimal result before completing the operation, risks of future problems are minimized. Vascular Laboratory technologists are a regular part of the operating room team.