VASCULAR STUDIES:
Peripheral artery disease (also called peripheral arterial disease) is a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs.
When you develop peripheral artery disease (PAD), your extremities — usually your legs — don't receive enough blood flow to keep up with demand. This causes symptoms, most notably leg pain when walking (intermittent claudication).
Peripheral artery disease is also likely to be a sign of a more widespread accumulation of fatty deposits in your arteries (atherosclerosis). This condition may be reducing blood flow to your heart and brain, as well as your legs.
Often, you can successfully treat peripheral artery disease by quitting tobacco, exercising and eating a healthy diet.
Not performed in office, but if deemed necessary they can be ordered and performed in several different local convenient locations.
NAIL OR SKIN BIOPSY:
A painless sample of nail or skin can be taken and sent to the laboratory for further analysis to determine if a fungal infection is present among other conditions. Fungal infections can be treated. Samples are sent out to the laboratory for further analysis.
Deeper skin biopsy can also be taken if necessary for other skin conditions.
X-RAY:
A X-ray is a safe and painless test that uses a small amount of radiation to make an image of a person's foot or ankle. During the examination, an X-ray machine sends a beam of radiation through the foot, and an image is digitally on a computer. This image shows the soft tissues and bones of the foot/ankle.
The X-ray image is black and white. Dense structures that block the passage of the X-ray beam through the body, such as the bones, appear white. Softer body tissues, such as the muscles, allow the X-ray beams to pass through them and appear darker.
X-RAY IS AVAILABLE IN OFFICE FOR FOOT AND ANKLE
DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUND:
Musculoskeletal ultrasound is a very powerful diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of a wide array of foot and ankle problems. Most people know about ultrasound to image a baby or a gallbladder, but it has growing application in musculoskeletal disorders. Ultrasound is based on sound waves. Sound waves are emitted from a transducer probe that is applied to the body and these sound waves will past into the body and then are reflected back to the transducer probe to be recorded. The recorded image is based on the density of the object that the sound waves encounter. An object with a high density appears white or brighter on the recorded image, while objects of low density will appear black or dark on the image. Intermediate densities will appear gray. The sound waves are recorded back to the machine, which will produce the image. This image will appear on the computer screen; the doctor will read these images and write a report on the findings. Ultrasound is completely safe and painless. It also has no contraindications. There is no problem in having the examination if you are pregnant, have a pacemaker, or other medical conditions that may prevent you from having a MRI or CT scan. Ultrasound also does not produce any radiation as with a CT scan or x-rays.