How does a physician determine if a patient has stenosis and to what degree?
A. Several diagnostic tests can be used to determine a patient’s degree of stenosis, including doppler ultrasound, MRI/MRA, and angiography. The determination of which test to use depends on the patients individual symptoms, risk factors and the services available in the patient’s community. Doppler ultrasound is a basic, non-invasive imaging test that visualizes arteries in the neck by using sound waves to determine the flow of blood through the artery. This test, which takes approximately 15-20 minutes, can help determine the degree of stenosis and the level of blood flow through the neck. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (MRA) of the brain and carotid arteries will show a complete picture of the brain tissue and all of the arteries, including arteries in the brain. An MRI/MRA is a non-invasive procedure that takes approximately 1 hour.
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