FREE EBOOK · 2027 EDITION
Five Clinical Challenges.
One Free Illustrated Guide.
Join the ABC Vascular newsletter and receive our free 2027 eBook, “Vascular Ultrasound: From images to decisions”.
Carotid Ultrasound Course and Vertebral Arteries
Learn how to conduct an ultrasound examination of the carotid and vertebral arteries. We cover the entire spectrum of the carotid ultrasound course and vertebral artery with videos, slides, and quizzes; CME credit is available.
on 
and
and
About the Carotid course and Vertebral Arteries course
Course Overview
Atherosclerotic disease is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Cardiovascular risk factors, such as high level of blood pressure, ageing, smoking, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia on top of a genetic predisposition, favour the development of atherosclerotic plaques inside the arteries of the vascular system.
The presence and extent of carotid artery disease represent one of the main risk factors for the occurrence of ischemic stroke and can re-classify patients as at high risk.
Aim of this course
This online accredited ultrasound course on carotid ultrasound imaging is designed to provide ultrasound imaging practitioners with a comprehensive overview on how to perform a Doppler ultrasound assessment of the carotid and vertebral arteries.
How is the course structured?
The course is made of e-booklets supported by hands-on commented video lectures and covers all the main topics of carotid and vertebral ultrasound imaging, such as:
- basic principles of carotid Doppler ultrasound;
- carotid artery anatomy & carotid anatomy ultrasound;
- ultrasound identification of the carotid and vertebral arteries;
- step by step scanning protocols;
- ultrasound criteria to detect different carotid and vertebral arteries diseases as:
- carotid artery stenosis
- carotid artery occlusion
- subclavian artery steal syndrome
- characterise and grade carotid artery disease as well as vertebral arteries and subclavian arteries atherosclerotic diseases;
The content of the course is continuously implemented and updated.
What will I get at the end of this course?
At the end of this course, the ultrasound practitioners will have acquired the essential knowledge to conduct a normal examination of extracranial blood vessels as well as to identify the main pathologies of the carotid and vertebral arteries.
Learn carotid and vertebral arteries ultrasound imaging with ABC online courses. At the end of the course an European certificate of accreditation and 20 CME AMA PRA credits will be released to enrolled learners after successfully passing multiple choices quizzes.
Gain an European Certificate
Our courses are accredited by the European accreditation council for continuing medical education to provide CME credits.
Medical e-learning is now widely used by students and healthcare professionals as:
- it offers the possibility to learn at their own pace
without the barriers of location - takes 40% to 60% lesser time for employees and students than conventional learning.
Course includes
- 6 video lectures (> 2 hours)
- 15 e-booklets containing over 300 slides
- real life video cases
- 13 quizzes
- 20 CME Credits ou 20 AMA PRA Credits
Course length
- Estimated 20 hours or more to cover videos, slides & quizzes
- Self-paced learning
- Access to this course is for 12 months from date of purchase
Access anywhere
- Mobile friendly
- Learn on-the-go
- Access on PC, phone or tablet
Who may benefit from this course?
Any healthcare professional who is approaching vascular ultrasound for the first time as well as healthcare professionals who want to improve their knowledge and skills in different areas of vascular ultrasound. Our subscribers are:
- trainee medical doctors
- vascular and general sonographers
- nurses
- as well as consultant medical doctors
- as vascular surgeons,
- cardiologists,
- internists,
- angiologists,
- radiologists,
- or somewhat all healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and management of peripheral vascular diseases.
Test a lesson free
Not Convinced? Get Started For Free with Two Topics
Start by accessing the first two lessons for FREE. Courses are created by top experts in the field. If you’re new to the ABC learning method and you are not sure whether is right for you, this will help you to understand what to expect from ABC courses.
work at:
ABC vascular is a very useful platform for all those who want to approach or, better, master the field of vascular ultrasound. The videos are extremely simple and comprehensive, addressing both the theoretical and practical parts in detail, giving important insights into
the examination techniques that can be used in the daily clinical practice. In my opinion, the
evaluation questionnaires present during the course, which allow learners to assess the
degree of learning step by step, are very useful. I began my experience with the course on the study of the carotids and vertebral arteries, and then gradually tackle them all.
Kudos to the teachers, graphic designers and staff behind it all; strongly recommended for
all healthcare personnel.
Andrea Vergara
MD, Resident in Cardiology
Why this course?
Ultrasound imaging is the first-line diagnostic tool used to image carotid arteries both for cardio and cerebrovascular risk stratification of patients with cardiovascular risk factors and for the diagnosis and grading of internal carotid arteries stenosis as well as for carotid plaques characterisation.
Carotid ultrasound imaging, also known as carotid Duplex ultrasound or carotid Doppler, provides real time information on blood vessels flow state and abnormalities of the arterial walls.
B-mode permits to obtain information:
- on the anatomy of the vessels and on the features of the arterial wall while Doppler – colour flow and pulsed wave Doppler;
- allows to study the characteristics of blood flow;
- measure blood flow velocities which helps to detect turbulent flow, presence of increased velocities, due to vessels stenosis, within the main extracranial arteries (common carotid artery, internal carotid artery, external carotid artery, vertebral and subclavian arteries);
- or absence of blood flow in an occluded carotid artery;
Several ultrasound criteria, namely blood flow velocities and ratios and morphological features of carotid plaques as geometry, echogenicity and surface, are used to evaluate the degree of a carotid artery stenosis.
The presence of neurological symptoms along with carotid plaques characteristics and degree of stenosis are essential to determine the best management (surgical – endoarterectomy or stent – or medical) of patients.
Lessons in this course
Start with free access to the sample lessons below. Purchase via credit-card for immediate access to the full course.
Jianu C.
Mahfuz
Mohammed R.
Yassine M.