While varicose veins are often visible on the surface, it’s important to understand what’s happening below the skin. If you’re experiencing leg heaviness and circulation issues, an ultrasound can be used to evaluate these concerns and detect venous insufficiency.
Here’s what you should keep in mind before a diagnostic ultrasound.
What Is a Venous Ultrasound?
Using ultrasound technology, this imaging procedure generates sound waves to better view the leg veins. Real-time ultrasound imaging helps observe the rate at which blood passes through the veins, as well as identify blood clots. The ultrasound imaging is used to help us develop a treatment plan.
Similar to other ultrasound procedures, gel will be applied to the areas being observed. A technologist then guides a transducer over the skin, which generates high-frequency soundwaves that bounce back when they encounter an object of a certain density.
Variance in amplitude, time and pitch from signals received by the transducer create an image that appears on a computer screen. This allows visualization of veins below the skin’s surface and involves no radiation exposure.
Doppler ultrasound technology adds another dimension, observing and capturing the movement of fluids traveling through the body. In terms of diagnosing varicose veins, this level of imaging offers insight into how blood flows through the body, including pace and any potential blockages.
The combined imaging technologies, known as duplex ultrasound, help capture the shape and state of the blood vessels, the rate at which the blood flows through.
What Can a Venous Ultrasound Identify?
To monitor varicose veins, a venous ultrasound can help identify or observe:
- Blood Clots: Ultrasound can detect both superficial and deep venous thrombosis.
- Blood Flow: Results can illustrate how well blood flows through the veins, including areas where it seems slower or an abnormality is restricting flow.
- Venous Reflux: Also known as venous insufficiency, this condition indicates the vessels are not guiding blood back to the heart as efficiently.
- Leg Swelling: If you’re experiencing fluid buildup around your feet and ankles, an ultrasound can help identify if venous insufficiency is the contributing.
Ultrasound technology can also help guide procedures to reduce the effects of varicose veins, including:
- Mapping out the veins to determine which segments can be removed.
- Guiding a needle or catheter into a vein to prevent a clot from forming, excessive bleeding or arterial damage.
Questions about undergoing a diagnostic ultrasound for varicose veins? To explore treatment options, contact the Vein Centers of Connecticut today.