More Than a Picture: Celebrating Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month

Featuring insights from Dane Gregg, RVT, and Heather Raponi, RVT, at Hill Vascular & Vein Center

“What exactly are you looking for during my ultrasound?”

It is a question our vascular technologists hear often—and welcome. Understanding what happens during an examination can help patients feel more comfortable and involved in their care.

October is Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month, an opportunity to recognize the skill, attention, and compassion behind every examination. At Hill Vascular & Vein Center (HVVC), we are celebrating our vascular ultrasound team and the quality standards that support their work.

Our Registered Vascular Technologists, Dane Gregg and Heather Raponi, shared answers to some of their patients’ most common questions.

Watching Your Circulation in Real Time

Vascular ultrasound uses sound waves to examine arteries and veins without ionizing radiation. With Doppler ultrasound, we can also evaluate blood flow as it happens.

Dane explains that an examination looks at several important features: the size of a vessel, whether plaque or other material is present inside it, and the direction and speed of blood flow.

“Patients enjoy learning that ultrasound allows us to watch blood flow in real time!” he says.

Those moving images and measurements help our physicians understand how well blood is traveling through the area being examined—and what may be interfering with it.

Heather starts each examination by explaining what the patient can expect.

“I always like to briefly explain what I’ll be doing before each exam to make the patient feel more comfortable and at ease,” she says.

What Happens Beyond the Pictures?

During an examination, a vascular technologist continually gathers and evaluates information. Depending on the study, this may include:

• Examining vessel walls and looking for plaque or blood clots.
• Measuring blood-flow speed and direction.
• Checking for narrowing, blockages, or enlarged arteries called aneurysms.
• Assessing whether veins compress normally.
• Testing whether vein valves are working properly.

Each image and measurement contributes to the examination your physician will interpret.

For example, healthy leg-vein valves help blood move toward the heart. When valves do not close properly, blood can flow backward, a problem called venous reflux. Evaluating that flow helps the physician understand the cause of symptoms such as swelling, heaviness, and varicose veins.

Why Is the Technologist Squeezing My Leg?

During a venous reflux examination, patients may notice the technologist repeatedly squeezing parts of their leg.

Heather explains that this pressure helps the team evaluate blood flow and how well the vein valves are functioning. Compressing and releasing the leg moves blood through the veins, allowing the technologist to assess the response and check for backward flow.

These maneuvers provide information about how your circulation functions beyond what a still image can show.

What Are the Sounds and Colors on the Screen?

The sounds you hear during a vascular ultrasound come from Doppler technology, which translates information about moving blood into an audible signal. Heather explains that listening to changes in these sounds helps the technologist evaluate blood flow.

The colors on the screen also provide information about flow direction—specifically, whether blood is moving toward or away from the ultrasound probe, according to the machine’s color settings. Red and blue do not automatically mean artery and vein, or healthy and unhealthy blood flow.

Heather notes that many patients are surprised to learn a basic distinction: arteries carry blood away from the heart, while veins carry blood toward the heart. Understanding that difference can make the examination easier to follow.

Why Your Exam May Take Time—and Involve Some Movement

You may be asked to stand, turn onto your side, briefly hold your breath, or follow specific breathing instructions. These actions help the technologist evaluate circulation under different conditions.

During a venous reflux study, for instance, standing and certain maneuvers can help reveal backward flow through valves that are not functioning properly.

The length of an examination depends on the vessels being studied, your anatomy, and whether a finding requires additional images or measurements.

Heather says patients undergoing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) examination sometimes ask why the examination slows down around the calf. There are several veins to evaluate in this area, and the vessels are smaller. Swelling can also make them more difficult to visualize, so obtaining a thorough assessment may take additional time.

“I always ensure to take the time to provide each patient with a thorough, in-depth examination,” Dane explains.

If a position is uncomfortable or an instruction is unclear, please let your technologist know. We want you to feel comfortable and understand what to expect throughout your examination.

The Expertise Behind the Examination

Ultrasound depends heavily on the skill and experience of the person performing it. The technologist must locate the correct vessels, adjust equipment settings, obtain clear images, and collect accurate measurements while adapting to each patient’s anatomy.

Our sonographers are Registered Vascular Technologists (RVTs), a credential awarded by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). Earning this credential requires meeting education and clinical experience requirements and passing examinations in ultrasound physics and vascular technology. This specialized training helps our team perform the thorough examinations that support your care.

For Dane, continuing education is an essential part of that responsibility. Staying current with techniques, guidelines, and best practices helps technologists bring informed, careful attention to every examination.

Why IAC Accreditation Matters

A skilled technologist is one part of a quality vascular laboratory. The systems supporting the examination matter, too.

The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) accredits vascular testing facilities against established standards. Applying involves a detailed review of facility operations and submission of actual patient case studies for evaluation. Accreditation follows a three-year cycle.

IAC standards address areas including personnel qualifications, examination procedures, reporting, safety, and quality improvement. For patients, accreditation demonstrates that a laboratory has undergone an independent assessment of how it performs and supports its work.

RVT credentials recognize an individual professional’s qualifications; IAC accreditation evaluates the laboratory’s processes and performance. Both support the goal of obtaining reliable information for medical decisions.

At HVVC, our IAC-accredited vascular laboratory reflects our commitment to these standards and to continually reviewing the quality of our examinations.

When choosing where to have a vascular ultrasound, asking about the technologist’s credentials and the laboratory’s accreditation can help you make an informed choice.

Finding Problems Before Symptoms Become Severe

Depending on the examination ordered, vascular ultrasound can help detect blood clots, peripheral artery disease, carotid artery narrowing, venous reflux, and certain aneurysms.

As Dane notes, some vascular changes can be present before severe symptoms develop. Identifying them may give the care team an opportunity to discuss monitoring, risk-factor management, or treatment.

The right examination depends on your symptoms, medical history, and clinical evaluation. Your physician can explain whether testing is appropriate and what the results mean for you.

Care That Starts With Listening

Dane chose vascular ultrasound because it combines his interest in technology with his passion for medicine. The most rewarding part, however, is getting to know and care for patients.

Heather’s approach reflects that same attention to the patient experience: explaining the examination, answering questions, and helping patients understand what they are seeing and hearing.

Our technologists also want patients to understand why they may not provide results during the examination. At HVVC, the physician reviews the study and makes the formal diagnosis. Waiting for that interpretation does not, by itself, mean something is wrong.

Questions and concerns are always welcome.

This Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month, we thank Dane, Heather, and our entire vascular ultrasound team for their expertise, patience, and commitment to thorough examinations. Behind every image is a professional paying close attention—and a patient whose health matters.

Have questions about your circulation or an upcoming vascular ultrasound? Contact Hill Vascular & Vein Center. Our team is here to help you understand your care.