Varicose Veins – Superficial Veins Testing

Transcript

“For superficial vein problems, I think in this day and age ultrasound testing is probably the sole test that will give you enough information for a clinician to be able to offer appropriate therapy. Once again, one of them, one of the goals of ultrasound testing is to determine the extent of the clotting process. Because even though more often, you can see the vein that is affected, sometimes seemingly unaffected veins can be affected by clot. And so one of them is that you have to determine the extent of the superficial vein clot, but you also want to determine how close the clot is getting into the deep system. And if the deep system is affected because the therapy for those is dramatic. Affliction of the deep system requires a blood thinner. Affliction of the shallow system does not require a blood thinner. And so, and when the shallow clot is getting too close to the deep clot, then the clinician has to make some decisions as to what to do with a patient, either a blood thinner or surgical intervention, but there’s a huge difference in therapy, according to results of your ultrasound.

So in this particular area of affliction, superficial vein incompetence is defined by clinical examination and ultrasound testing. Very seldom, you will need an extra test to confirm what you’re seeing with your eyes and what you’re seeing with ultrasound. Cat scans are rarely if ever needed for these kind of problems. MRIs and so forth are very rarely used. And so in summary, only an astute clinician with a good clinical examination and a past history familiar and personal of that patient along with a well-performing ultrasound will give you enough information for you to be able to give a proper therapy.”