If you are suffering from varicose veins, one of the common first steps towards treatment is undergoing a venous ultrasound screening.
What is a venous ultrasound?
During a venous ultrasound, sound waves are used to produce images showing the veins in the body. It is most commonly done to find blood clots in the veins in the leg, known as deep vein thrombosis. Ultrasounds do not use radiation and have no known harmful side effects.
What are some common uses of venous ultrasounds?
As stated above, the most common use for a venous ultrasound is to search for blood clots in the leg. These clots are particularly harmful because they can break off and pass into the lungs, which can cause a pulmonary embolism. If we find a clot in the leg early though, treatment can be started to prevent that from happening.
Other reasons a venous ultrasound screening is performed are to:
- Find the cause of leg swelling. In people with varicose veins, the valves that keep blood flowing to the heart may be damaged, a venous ultrasound can help us to determine which valves are damaged and where the abnormal blood flow is happening.
- Guide a needle or catheter into the vein. This procedure can help us to locate the exact spot in the vein to avoid complications or damage to nearby nerves and arteries.
- Map out the veins in the leg or arm so that pieces of the vein may be removed and used to bypass a narrowed or blocked blood vessel.
These Doppler ultrasound images can help us to examine and assess:
- Blood clots or blockages inhibiting blood flow
- Narrowing of vessels
- Tumors and congenital vascular malformations
- Reduced or lack of blood flow to certain organs
- If there’s an increase in blood flow, a common sign of infection
There are many reasons a venous ultrasound may be beneficial to you and your vein health journey. If you would like to schedule an appointment with us, call 817.235.0769 today. If you have any other questions about your veins or ultrasounds, don’t hesitate to contact us.