Non-Invasive diagnostic tests are painless and are perfectly safe. There are no scalperls, needles, or medications involved. Your tests will take about 30-45 minutes from start to finish.
Diagnostic studies are an essential part of the proper work-up when evaluating and treating venous disease. You can only determine so much from a physical exam. The doctor needs to determine if the deep veins are working well. Some of the questions that must be answered are:
- Is there any evidence of current blood clots (deep vein thrombosis)? Is there any evidence of old blood clot?
- Does the patient have good alternative sources of circualtion before the bad veins are removed forever? Are the deep veins functioning properly or are they incompetent (leasking) as well?
- Is the Greater Saphenous Vein (GSV) working well or is it responsible for much of the superficial vein disease?
Any trained, experienced specialist will almost always perform some testing first before treating you even if you have only superficial cosmetic spider veins. You should NEVER have varicose veins treated before an evaluation with Duplex Ultrasound.
In our practice, we have found that almost one third of the patients that presented with very superficial cosmetic spider veins actually had other venous circulatory problems that would have been missed without proper testing.
Here’s what to expect:
Color-flow Duplex Ultrasound Exam
This is the most sophisticated technique in testing technology for evaluating anatomy and leakage in vessels. It is available only in highly specialized vein centers. Sound waves are used to make an actual “picture” or “road-map” of deeper veins that cannot be seen from the surface. An ultrasonic probe will be placed on the surface of your skin to produce a color display of your vessels. The actual picture of your veins and the blood flow will be displayed on a TV-like screen. The test determines if your veins are open, the presence and direction of blood flow, and identifies any vein blockage or narrowing. Vein mapping is important whenever the problem is more than skin deep.
Bi-directional Doppler Ultrasound Exam
Sound waves will be bounced off the blood moving within your blood vessels, and the returning sound will show how fast the blood is moving, what direction it is going, and whether it pauses during normal breathing. An augmentation test or gentle hand squeezing of the leg will show whether the valves in your leg veins are working correctly.
Photoplethysmography
A small light-emitting diode and a receiver will be attached to your ankle with Scotch tape and you will be asked to lift your toes off the floor ten times in a row. The change in light absorption will show how well your ‘calf muscle pump’ is pushing blood out of the lower leg, and how long it takes for the calf veins to refill with blood after being emptied.
Pneumoplethysmography
You will be asked to lie on your back with your legs supported higher than your heart. A pressure cuff (just like the one used to take your blood pressure) will be placed around your calf, and another one will be attached to your thigh. The pressure in the calf is measured while the thigh cuff is slowly inflated and then deflated. The pressure in the calf will not change as much nor as quickly if the veins are blocked in any way.
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Diagnostic Testing
