Ten sponsoring societies represent the medical specialties of radiology, ultrasonography, vascular surgery, neurology, cardiology, neurosurgery and internal medicine.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
Stroke, often resulting from a disorder of the blood vessels to the brain, is the third leading cause of death and disability in this country. This affliction becomes life threatening for 500,000 of those people when the blood clot breaks loose and travels to their lungs. Although life threatening if undetected, early diagnosis of these and other vascular diseases is possible through the use of noninvasive testing techniques performed within the vascular laboratory. Accreditation status signifies that the facility has been reviewed by an independent agency, which recognizes the laboratory's commitment to quality testing for diagnosis of vascular disease. Participation in the accreditation process demonstrates the laboratory's concern for high quality patient care and attention to quality assurance.