Vein Disease Tests: Diagnostic Venous Ultrasound or Venography
Author: StrideCare Internal Team
Vein disease is a condition that affects more than 20 million Americans. Sadly, not everyone seeks medical advice at the first sign of a problem. This could be for many reasons—they’re not in pain, they aren’t aware of the symptoms of vein disease, or they believe their symptoms are minor and could improve with time. Regardless of where you fall in these scenarios or if you’re delaying treatment for a different reason, it’s better to have vein disease tests sooner rather than later.
Vein diseases tests such as diagnostic venous ultrasound or venography safely and quickly evaluate your legs and feet to determine what type of problem exists. Testing can put you on the path for determining if there are underlying causes and provide a plan for resolving the issue. Diagnostic venous ultrasound, in particular, is one of the most common diagnostic tests to determine vein health. And because it relies on ultrasound technology, it is both non-invasive and non-surgical. This can be great news for patients who are eligible, especially if experiencing any of the following symptoms.
Vein Disease Symptoms
Symptoms of vein disease include:
- Feelings of leg achiness
- Visible spider veins or varicose veins
- Heaviness or fullness in your legs
- Burning, throbbing, itching, and swelling in legs
- Skin discoloration
- Cold or numb legs
- Muscle cramps in legs
- Discomfort when sitting or standing for a long time
- Leg swelling or edema
What Is Vein Disease?
An average of one in every three adults over the age of 45 develops some form of vein disease. But truth be told, age isn’t a defining factor. Vein disease can affect men and women in their 20s and 30s, too. Our veins can also be affected by life choices such as diet, excess weight, smoking, heredity, excessive standing, pregnancy, hormones, and a sedentary lifestyle.
In healthy veins, one-way valves close so that blood cannot leak down the legs. In people with vein disease, one-way valves don’t close all the way. Vein disease occurs because valves in our veins get weaker and slow down. Plaque buildup and other factors also can contribute. As a result, our veins swell as they fill up with blood.
The signs of vein disease are numerous. At first, it could be a few unsightly spider veins and varicose veins. Perhaps none are painful at the moment. But over time, occasional achiness, throbbing, and numbness sets in and slowly gets worse. If left untreated, these issues can lead to more serious complications and conditions, including but not limited to:
- Chronic Venous insufficiency — This condition occurs when you don’t have proper blood flowing from the veins in your legs back up to your heart. Instead, blood flows backward and pools in your legs.
- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) — A life-threatening condition where blood clots form in one of the veins deep within your body. Patients with DVT can experience swelling in the legs and feet, foot pain, leg pain, and burning sensations.
- Phlebitis — Phlebitis is inflammation of a vein, typically the legs. The vein becomes inflamed because there’s blood clotting inside it or the vein walls are damaged. The inflammation may cause pain and swelling when surrounding tissues become irritated, red, warm, and tender.
- Restless Leg Syndrome — Characterized by an uncomfortable feeling in the legs such as itching, prickling, pulling, or crawling that tends to be worse when lying down or sleeping. RLS affects 5-10% of adults in the U.S., and studies indicate that as many as 22% of those with RLS also have venous insufficiency.
- Pelvic Congestion Syndrome — Pelvic congestion syndrome may also be referred to as pelvic varicose veins. With this condition, veins around the female pelvic area stop functioning properly and start to fill with blood. This condition can cause a great deal of discomfort in female patients and result in constant dull pain in the pelvic region.
If you are experiencing symptoms like the ones above and feel you may have any of these vein diseases, it is critical that you visit a vascular expert soon. While there are a variety of treatment options available, the first step would be for the patient to undergo diagnostic vein disease tests to uncover the root cause.
What to Expect from Diagnostic Venous Ultrasound?
Diagnostic venous ultrasound uses sound waves to produce a picture of the circulatory system and structures of the veins underneath the skin. This is all done without cutting, scarring, or anesthesia. It also does not use ionizing radiation and has no harmful effects. Venous ultrasound is typically one of the first diagnostic veins disease tests performed to check for vein disease.
Patients can sit back during their diagnostic ultrasound and relax while our specialists take a deeper look at their circulatory health. Our providers evaluate all the deep and superficial veins in the legs during the test. The legs are checked for any superficial or deep blood clots.
During these vein disease tests providers use a small probe called a transducer that emits high-frequency sound waves into the body. As they painlessly glide the transducer over a thin coating of gel on patients’ skin, the probe collects these sounds, and a nearby computer creates an image. At times during the test, the probe will be pressed against your leg to cause the veins to squeeze closed momentarily while obtaining ultrasound imaging of the vein. This is not harmful to the vein, but it is the preferred method of checking for a blood clot.
The starting and ending point of veins are evaluated, and the flow checked for reflux. Reflux in the veins is when blood is going in the wrong direction (towards the feet) when it should be flowing up towards the heart. The entire ultrasound process typically takes 45-60 minutes to complete, after which time you’ll be able to return to your normal daily activities, including work.
Benefits of diagnostic venous ultrasound include:
- Check for a variety of vein diseases and conditions
- No preparation time, downtime, or recovery period
- Takes 45-60 minutes to complete
- Non-invasive and non-surgical
- Covered by most medical insurance
What is a Diagnostic Venography?
Diagnostic venous ultrasound is commonly used to search for blood clots but can also detect a variety of other possible vein issues. Sometimes, however, a venography is a necessary follow-up diagnostic testing tool to uncover problems with veins that venous ultrasound cannot view.
A venogram is an x-ray test that shows how blood flows through your veins, used to assess the size and condition of your veins. With a venography, providers will inject an iodine-based solution into the veins to act as a contrast that can be seen easily on an x-ray. This allows providers to get a full view of your veins without having to follow up on inconclusive ultrasound findings.
Unlike diagnostic venous ultrasounds, you may experience some mild bruising and tenderness at the access site. This is normal and side effects typically resolve within a few days of treatment. The results of your venogram will be available within a few days of your diagnostic appointment, at which time your specialist will ask you to come in for a follow-up appointment to discuss the results.
Diagnostic Vein Disease Tests Offered at StrideCare
A consultation with your vein doctor is necessary to determine the type, severity, and location of your vein problem. During a consult at StrideCare, your specialist may also advise you to have a diagnostic venous ultrasound. If this doesn’t provide a clear enough picture, a venogram can uncover additional findings.
The key is not to delay seeking help. Our expert doctors and caring staff at StrideCare utilize the latest technologies and minimally invasive procedures to help our patients with a variety of vein and artery diseases. The vascular physicians at StrideCare are board-certified diagnostic radiologists with additional fellowship training in vascular and interventional radiology. If you need treatment, the experienced physicians at StrideCare will create an individualized plan to help you get the best results.
To discuss your options, request an appointment for an evaluation including vein disease tests.
Prior to starting any new treatment or questions regarding a medical condition, always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
StrideCare serves the South Texas area including Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Round Rock, Bastrop, Brushy Creek, Cedar Park, Converse, Georgetown, Hutto, Kyle, Leander, Marble Falls, New Braunfels, Pasadena, Pearland, Pflugerville, San Marcos, Schertz, Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Webster, Bay City, Clear Lake, Lake Jackson, The Woodlands, Universal City, Spring, Kingwood, Stafford, Conroe, Texas City, Cypress, League City, Bellaire, and more.
