It is the evaluation of the main vessels that feed the brain in the neck, namely the carotid arteries, with Doppler Ultrasound. There are two veins in the neck, two in the front and two in the back, feeding the brain. The anterior ones are called the carotid arteries, and the posterior ones are called the vertebral arteries. These vessels that feed the brain are very important. There may be calcifications in the carotid and vertebral arteries, these calcifications may break off and block a vessel in the brain, a clot may form or a tear may occur. As a result of these problems, some symptoms may occur in the patient. These range from a mild dizziness to a stroke. The total amount of blood flow in the vertebral arteries is also important. Decreased total blood flow in the vertebral artery can lead to loss of balance and speech disorder.

How is Carotid Vertebral Doppler done?
During the examination, the patient lies on his back on a stretcher. It is not preferred to put a pillow under his head, his head falls back a little. The head is turned first to one side and then to the other side to view the side of the patient to be examined. The ultrasound probe is used together with the gel to view the neck veins. Veins are displayed first in gray scale, then in color. The carotid arteries, that is, the veins in the front, and the vertebral arteries, that is, the veins in the back, are viewed from the same place. By simply moving the ultrasound probe, the veins in the front or the back are examined. The size of the plaques in the vessel, if any, are measured, their locations are defined in the report. Whether the plaques cause a change in the flow rate is determined by a method called spectral analysis. When there is stenosis, the flow rate increases a lot. If there is stenosis, it is defined, how much the flow velocity increases compared to the flow in the normal region, and the approximate stenosis rate is specified.