Patient Services

Carotid Intima Media Thickness

SBFMG is pleased to announce a new diagnostic technology designed to detect atherosclerosis (plaque build-up in the arteries) before any signs or symptoms occur. Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) reveals the extent of the disease through the arterial wall for cardiovascular disease risk screening. You physician is then able to prescribe therapies and recommend lifestyle modifications to help stop or even possibly reverse heart disease. Because the CIMT procedure is safe and convenient and repeatable over time, it can be valuable in measuring treatment effectiveness and lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Since the CIMT procedure is still considered a new diagnostic technology, it may not be covered by your insurance plan. Therefore, we are only able to provide this procedure on a cash basis for $295.00. Please contact our office (310-378-2234 for Torrance or 310-939-7858 for Manhattan Beach) to arrange an appointment with your doctor for him/her to determine whether this study is appropriate for you.

Physical Therapy

We have a full-service on-site physical therapy department staffed by experienced registered physical therapists. Our therapists are trained to treat the following diagnoses or conditions:

The VAP Cholesterol Test

We are now offering the VAP Cholesterol Test, a new style of cholesterol testing that checks not only the usual HDL (good cholesterol), LDL (bad cholesterol), and triglyceride levels, but also breaks them down into their sub-types. This gives us a better overall picture of your risk for heart disease and heart attacks. In addition, we can easily check for the so-called “emerging risk factors” for heart disease, including homocysteine, C-reactive protein (CRP), and lipoprotein-a. These are easily tested and treated, and we can help you minimize your risk for heart disease even if the rest of your cholesterol panel is normal. The VAP Test is reimbursed by most insurance companies and accepts assignments from Medicare.

Visit the official VAP Test web site at www.atherotech.com

Bone Density Testing

Knowing the state of your bone health can empower you to make lifestyle changes that can mean a tremendous difference in the quality of your life and your future health. This convenient, painless test allows us to accurately evaluate your bone density in minutes.

Abdominal Aortic Ultrasound Scan

Are you at risk for an aneurysm? Patients experiencing hypertension and those with a history of smoking may be at risk. If you suffer from abdominal or back pain it may be caused by a developing aneurysm.

A weakened aortic artery that becomes stretched out like a balloon is called an aneurysm and may burst, putting ones health at immediate and grave risk.

An ultrasound examination of the abdomen allows your doctor to check for the presence of an aneurysm.

Carotid Artery Duplex Scan

Do you suffer from dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, headache, and/or a brief loss of ability to speak or move? These symptoms may be early warning signs of a possible stroke.

A carotid artery duplex scan is used to assess blockage or narrowing of the carotid arteries of the neck and/or the branches of the carotid artery. A build up of fatty materials, a blood clot, and other substances in the blood stream may cause a disturbance in the blood flow through the carotid arteries.

The term "duplex" refers to the fact that two modes of ultrasound are used - Doppler and B-mode. The B-mode transducer (like a microphone) obtains an image of the carotid artery being studied. The Doppler probe within the transducer evaluates the velocity and direction of blood flow in the vessel.

Echocardiogram (Diagnostic Cardiac Ultrasound)

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan of the heart. It uses reflected sound waves to "look" directly at a patient's heart.

The heart valves, heart chambers, blood vessels, and the heart muscle itself can be carefully measured and examined. A special part of the echocardiogram called the color Doppler signal shows blood flow through your heart. Ultrasound pictures of the heart are better than x-rays for outlining details of the heart.

The device uses an "echo" of the heart to produce an image of a graph. And you can actually see the heart in action as the images are projected on a monitor. The direction of blood flow into and out of the heart can be seen in different colors on the monitor.

The echocardiogram is able to accurately diagnose problems with both the structure and function of the heart. This test can show if you have ailments such as congenital heart defects, fluid around the heart, valve disorders, or weakened heart muscles.