Ultrasound scan
A neurological ultrasound scan uses sound waves to produce pictures of your body’s inner structures, such as the brain or nerves. It’s a relatively quick, non-invasive, and painless procedure that doesn’t use radiation.
Ultrasounds are incredibly versatile tools with applications beyond diagnosis. As a center of excellence in neurology, we use the most up-to-date ultrasound techniques to help diagnose and monitor a wide range of neurological conditions.
Read on to learn more about how ultrasounds are used in neurology, what to expect, and the innovative techniques used at Affidea neuraCare.
We use different types of ultrasound depending on your condition or symptoms, such as:
- Ultrasound – shows images of tissues and structures inside your body in real-time, and can be used to help guide procedures like a lumbar puncture
- Neuromuscular ultrasound – helps identify changes in the nerves and muscles due to injury or disease, such as a compressed nerve, tumor, neuromas or lesions
- Transcranial Doppler ultrasound – measures blood flow in the brain’s blood vessels, usually used to monitor the risk of a stroke in children with sickle cell disease and to check for abnormalities in the nervous system and blood vessels, and bleeding or fluid build-up around the brain
- Carotid Doppler ultrasound – measures blood flow to the brain and eyes in the carotid artery in the neck and helps detect and monitor any plaque build-up in the artery wall
An ultrasound scan of the brain (cranial ultrasound) is not used in adults, because sound waves do not travel well through the skull. But other types of ultrasound might be part of your diagnosis or treatment.
At Affidea neuraCare, we use the latest ultrasound technologies and techniques to provide timely, accurate answers and exceptional care as soon as you need it.
An ultrasound scan can be used to diagnose and monitor neurological conditions, particularly neuromuscular conditions. These are conditions affecting the nerves and muscles.
Your neurologist may use an ultrasound scan alongside other investigative methods to create an accurate profile of your condition. This helps them design a personalized treatment plan with the best possible outcome for you.
Ultrasound can support the diagnosis of:
- Motor neurone disease
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Muscular dystrophy
Ultrasound can support monitoring:
- To assess the risk of a stroke in children aged 2 to 16 with sickle cell disease
- To assess blood flow inside and to the brain
- To locate any blockages or narrowing of blood vessels in the brain and neck
Your neurologist may also use an ultrasound scan as a guide during other procedures, such as a lumbar puncture.
We surround our patients with specialists who listen, understand, and care. They include some of Europe's most renowned experts – neurologists,
neuropsychologists, neuroradiographers, microbiologists, nurses, nuclear medicine experts and therapeutic specialists in physiology and occupational health.
An ultrasound scan is a quick, safe and painless procedure. Depending on the type of scan you’re having, it can take around 10 to 45 minutes. You may spend longer at the center if you have any other appointments scheduled.
Before your scan
Usually, you do not need to do anything to prepare for an ultrasound scan. Your care team will let you know if there’s anything you or your child need to do before the scan.
When you arrive for your scan, you may need to change into a hospital gown for your comfort and to help your radiologist do the scan.
During your scan
Depending on the body part we’re scanning, you may be asked to sit or lie down. Your child will need to lie on their back.
The radiologist will spread a gel onto your skin, which may feel a little cool. For a transcranial Doppler ultrasound, this will be on the neck and forehead.
As your radiologist moves the probe over the skin, the images will show up on the monitor next to you. They may stop to make notes, take measurements, and explain what they’re seeing.
Once it’s over, you can wipe off the gel and get dressed.
After your scan
If you don’t have any other appointments at the center, you can go home after your ultrasound scan.
Your neuroradiologist will analyze your scans and send the results to your neurologist. This may take a few weeks . Your neurologist will schedule an appointment to see you and discuss the results once they’re ready.
