Tests for Veins - Duplex Ultrasound Report
When our expert vascular technologists scan a patients veins, they write a report. An early example of the report is shown below. As things have improved over the last few years, our technologists also now add information as to the size of the veins, the tortuosity and which of the many techniques of treatment that we have available are suitable for each vein.
(Click on this picture if you wish to see an example of such a report).
On this report:
O - Means that the vein is open, the flow of blood is normal and there is no backward flow (no reflux of blood) - Therefore the VALVES ARE WORKING.
X - Means that the vein is open but the blood is being allowed to flow the wrong way through the vein (reflux of blood) - Therefore the VALVES ARE NOT WORKING.
It is the ability to know which veins have abnormal valves and where those veins are in the leg that allows the surgeon to plan accurate surgery. Without this information, any surgery undertaken involves guess-work and can lead to the wrong vein being treated, or the faulty vein being left behind.
It is for this reason that at The Whiteley Clinic, no patient has surgery to their veins without a Duplex Ultrasound examination to plan the surgery and without Duplex Ultrasound being available in the operating surgery.
As explained before, although things are changing, some surgeons feel happy to operate on varicose veins without this test. However, without a doubt, following such a practice will mean that some patients will get the wrong operation for their venous problem and will be more likely to get recurrent venous problems in the future.
Anyone consenting for varicose veins surgery should check:
- They have a Duplex Ultrasound performed pre-operatively to help plan their surgery
- They have Duplex Ultrasound available in theatre to check that the correct veins are being treated adequately
- They are having EVLA or Radiofrequency ablation NOT STRIPPING (see www.veins-stripping.co.uk)
