What to Expect from a Venous Doppler Ultrasound

Recently, President Donald Trump underwent a venous doppler ultrasound exam to diagnose his Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). But what happens during this kind of exam? And what other conditions can be diagnosed with this tool? Here’s what you need to know.

What is a Venous Doppler Ultrasound?

This diagnostic ultrasound test examines circulation in your large leg veins. In addition to helping us diagnose CVI, the test can help detect conditions such as DVT (deep vein thrombosis). It can also determine the source of leg ulcers that may have formed on your body.

When you come to one of our three Georgia Endovascular locations for an ultrasound vein evaluation,  we will use this medical imaging technology to examine the internal structures  you our veins. The doppler ultrasound will use high-frequency sound waves to generate images of your vein structures, helping us provide accurate diagnoses and craft appropriate treatment plans for many forms of vein disease.

What to Expect During Your Exam

While a valuable medical tool, you won’t experience any pain during a doppler venous ultrasound; the exam is also free of radiation, dyes, needles and catheters. Our vascular specialists use this test to monitor blood flow in your veins. Prior to testing, you will be asked about your medical history before removing clothing items below the waist and lying down on the examination table. The ultrasound will take between 30 and 45 minutes, during which time the technician will use a transduce to apply sound waves to your skin. As those waves bounce back, the transducer can create an image for display, painting a picture of your overall vein function while highlighting the presence of clots or structural changes.

Patients with normal test results can immediately resume all activities. However, abnormal test results could indicate the need for further testing and/or treatment plans.

Venous Doppler Ultrasound Results: What’s Normal and What’s Not?

For results to be considered ‘normal,’ we would need to see veins that have an unobstructed pathway to return blood to your heart in a timely manner. Veins should easily deflate to push blood upward, against gravity, and the one-way internal valves should close to prevent pooling blood in your lower extremities.

In contrast, we’d be concerned if we detected any form of clot during your venous doppler exam. We would also want to discuss further interventions if we noticed that blood flow was sluggish or obstructed.

Follow-Up Vascular Care

Even if your ultrasound results are abnormal, that doesn’t mean you will need to undergo invasive procedures to correct your concern. Whether you have varicose veins or CVI like President Trump, our team of interventional radiologists in Georgia can provide you with minimally invasive vein treatment to restore optimal blood flow without the need for surgery or overnight hospital stays. Want to get a better picture of your current vascular health? Contact our office to schedule your ultrasound vein evaluation today!