Denton Vascular Lab participates in most all insurance plans. For the most up-to-date information on our accepted private health insurance plans, contact our clinic directly at (940) 566-6666 or click here to find out providers we accept. Please remember to bring your insurance card and photo ID to your appointment. Copay, coinsurance, and deductible are expected at time of service. As a courtesy, we offer discounted prices for self-pay and out-of-network patients.

Yes, Denton Vascular Lab will file your primary and/or secondary insurance to verify what portion of your visit we will cover. We will ask for the residual balance at the time of your visit. However, this is only an estimate and you may have a remaining portion to pay as a copay, coinsurance, or deductible. Our information on your financial responsibility is dependent on the information provided by your insurance company’s database. We are flexible with payment options, so please speak with the front desk staff upon your arrival. Please all (940) 566-6666 for more information.

Visit charges vary be the type of insurance and procedure. To find out exactly what you will need to pay at the time of you visit, please call our Denton office (940) 566-6666. Copay, coinsurance, and deductibles are expected at time of service.

Please click here to register for our patient portal. Once registered for our patient portal, you may look up or pay for existing balances.

Please call our Denton office (940) 566-6666 or visit our patient portal here to inquire about account balances.

Please call our Denton office (940) 566-6666, fax (940) 387-3692, or visit our website here to schedule your appointment.

Generally, your exam will be scheduled as soon as possible and may coincide with your ordering physician’s follow-up appointment. However, you may be scheduled for a same day visit depending on severity of disease process or emergent issues.

Please bring a copy of your insurance card, a valid ID and any assistive devices you need.

You should wear loose fitting clothes for your exam. Depending on the area of study you may be asked to change into one of our gowns or exam shorts provided to you.

Please click here and select your exam type to learn more about what to expect during your visit. See special instructions below:

SPECIAL FASTING INSTRUCTIONS
If you are scheduled for:

• RENAL (Kidney) DUPLEX
• ABDOMINAL DUPLEX
• MESENTERIC DUPLEX

– Eat a light meal for dinner the evening before your testing. NO GASSY FOODS!

Foods to Avoid
Milk, Ice Cream, Yogurt, Apples, Peaches, Prunes, Pears, Onions, Peppers, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Beans, Spicy Foods, Wheat or Oat Breads, Cereal, Carbonated Drinks, Chewing Gum, Hard Candy, and Smoking

– Nothing to eat after dinner, clear liquids till midnight (evening/night time medication taken with water).

The morning of the study:

• No gum…No mints…No smoking!
• You may take your normal morning meds with sips of water.
• Please arrive 15 minutes early to complete paperwork for testing.
• The technician DOES NOT give patient test results! You must get your results from the ordering physician.
• Failure to follow the above instructions may result in an inadequate test and may need to be rescheduled. Please call the office if you have any questions.

The test is painless and has no adverse effects because no needles or anything else is placed into your body to perform this exam.

The Exam is painless and usually takes no longer than 30-60 minutes. A computer, a view- screen, and a transducer are all part of the ultrasound machine. A transducer is a portable ultrasound device that transmits and detects ultrasonic waves into and out of the body.

For most testing you’ll be lying on your back. Your technician will apply warm gel to the area of study. This gel aids in the transfer of ultrasound waves to the arteries and veins. After the ultrasound waves bounce off the artery walls and blood cells, the transducer detects their echoes. A computer uses these echoes to construct and capture images of the insides of the arteries. These live photos are displayed on a video screen for your doctor to study.

Technicians may ask you to reposition your body or limbs for optimal scanning during the exam.

Learn more about the exam you are having here.

After your exam is completed, the reading vascular surgeon will receive, interpret, and dictate the findings for a final report. The report is then transcribed and sent to your physician’s office typically within 24-48 hours. Please call your ordering physician directly for information about your results as they determine the proper plan related to your overall health care.

Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the organs and body. Veins are blood vessels that carry de-oxygenated blood from the periphery back to the heart.

A weakness or bulge of the main artery in the abdomen. Aneurysm is an abnormal weakening of the wall of an artery causing a “ballooning” appearance enlarging to over twice normal size.

The process within the arteries where deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, calcium or fibrin are built up in the inner lining called plaques. This is a normal consequence of aging where the arterial walls gradually thicken and arterial fibers decline. The arteries become stiff.

Carotid Artery Disease occurs when plaques (i.e., fat, cholesterol, calcium and other chemicals) form on the insides of your carotid arteries and can reduce the blood flow to your brain and head.

As you become older, plaque builds up narrowing your carotid arteries which can reduce or stop the blood flow completely. This blockage increases your risk of stroke, a medical emergency that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. Due to the slow progression of this plaque, you may also experience a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), a temporary shortage of blood flow to your brain. Both Stroke and TIA’s are medical emergencies, which left untreated may result in lack of oxygen to the brain resulting in permanent disability or death. Treatment of carotid artery disease usually involves a combination of lifestyle changes, medication and occasionally surgery. An ultrasound of your carotid arteries can reveal whether plaque has narrowed them and allow your medical care provider or vascular specialist to treat you accordingly.

Occurs because a blocked artery is interfering with the amount of oxygen-rich blood that can reach the muscles in one or both of the arms or legs, resulting in cramps, pain, or fatigue with exercise.

Clotting within a deep vein caused from an injury, immobility or abnormal clotting factors. Usually happens in the lower extremities.

Peripheral Artery Disease is a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce the blood flow to your extremities. This phenomenon is most commonly associated with a buildup of fatty deposits in your arteries called atherosclerosis. PAD most commonly occurs in the lower extremities, but may influence the upper extremities as well. Due to the decreased blood flow in your legs and arms, symptoms such as painful movement (claudication) may occur.

Vascular ultrasound with Doppler can be employed to create pictures of the arteries, locate blockages and can help detect areas of restricted blood flow through an artery.

A condition where an exaggerated response to temperature can produce extreme blanching of the hands or feet in response to an environmental or systemic stress.

Narrowing of the artery to the kidneys.

A narrowing of a blood vessel, such as an artery or vein.

When blood flow to a part of the brain is stopped, even briefly. Symptoms can be numbness or weakness of the arms or legs, sudden changes in vision or loss of vision in one eye, slurring of words, or facial droop. This is a life-threatening emergency!

A clot has formed in your veins near the surface of your skin, known as superficial thrombophlebitis. An injury or an old case of varicose veins can trigger clotting. Local therapy for superficial thrombophlebitis is usually highly effective.

The diagnostic test for peripheral arterial disease that produces images of arteries or veins on a screen via the use of ultrasound equipment. This test is used to locate blocked or narrowed arteries and to measure their sizes.

Enlarged superficial veins of the legs, which can produce heaviness, throbbing, or aching and may present an unsightly cosmetic appearance.

Deterioration of valve function within the veins of the legs, causing blood pooling in and around the ankle. This leads to heaviness of the leg, swelling and occasionally ulceration.

The ultrasound technique is known as “vein mapping” can be used to examine the veins in the legs in greater detail. This procedure is entirely non-invasive and comfortable. Alternatively, it may be referred to as venous insufficiency ultrasonography. This is different from a venous ultrasound study, which looks for blood clots in the deep veins. Each patient’s veins will be mapped to help the doctor determine what treatment is needed. These studies inform us where the veins are at fault, how prominent the veins are, and whether or not an invasive operation is even possible for the patient. In most cases, an initial vein mapping examination is required before any surgery can be proposed.