How is Varicose Vein Diagnosed?

Varicose veins can cause complaints in patients such as feeling weighty or heavy, swelling, aching, itching, and night cramps in the legs, especially the calves. Patients with such complaints should first be seen and examined by a cardiovascular surgeon.

When the patient consults a physician specialized in Cardiovascular Surgery, firstly a conversation is made with the patient. In this section, which we call anamnesis, the patient's complaints, his/her past medical history, venous insufficiency and whether he/she has received treatment for varicose veins, history of clots in the veins, and possible risk factors that lead to clotting are discussed. Then the patient is examined. During the examination, findings of circulatory disorders in the legs, varicose veins, findings of venous insufficiency, discoloration, edema, varicose vein wounds, and traces of previous surgeries are evaluated.

Then, the patient should have a leg vein ultrasonography examination. The "leg vein ultrasonography" refers to "lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasonography" in medical terminology. The "USG" is the abbreviation for the word "ultrasonography." During the ultrasonography examination, the "B mode USG" and "color doppler" modes are used. In other words, "color Doppler" is not a separate analysis, but a part of the leg vein ultrasonography examination. This examination is performed by an attending physician in Radiology in many hospitals, and then the resulting report is evaluated by an attending physician in Cardiovascular Surgery. Moreover, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Kiriş personally performs the leg vein ultrasonography examination in patients with varicose veins after the examination. Having an ultrasonographic examination by the physician examining the patient offers many benefits. First of all, the patient is evaluated, and his/her treatment is planned as a whole. Besides, the physician who will perform the interventional treatment or surgery has detailed information about the vein structure and anatomy before the procedure. Finally, a patient-specific treatment plan can be drawn up by completing an interview with the patient, examining him/her, and performing a leg vein ultrasonography within an hour. Treatment can be done within the same day. This approach saves considerable time, for example, for a patient coming from out of town.

What is the Importance of Venous Ultrasonography Examination during the Diagnosis of Varicose Veins?

The leg vein ultrasonography examination is a non-invasive, painless, and inexpensive diagnostic method. It causes no harm to the patient in terms of health. The aim is to evaluate the blood flow in the veins as well as possible clots and blockages. The deep vein system, superficial vein system, and the bridging vein system that connects these two systems are evaluated.

As part of the evaluation about varicose veins, whether the blood leaks considerably backward from the deep vein to the superficial vein, especially at the groin level, and the superficial vein diameters are considered. As a result of this evaluation, if necessary, treatment methods for closing the part of the superficial vein between the groin and the knee joint can be planned. For this purpose, intravenous laser, intravenous radiofrequency, medical adhesive application, and very rarely classical varicose vein surgery methods can be applied. If the venous ultrasonography examination result is normal and the patient has capillary varicose veins,  aesthetic treatment procedures such as liquid or foam sclerotherapy can recover the poor appearance.

If patients with varicose veins have no history of clots or blockage in the deep veins, the mentioned diagnostic methods will be sufficient to diagnose and draw up a treatment plan. As an advanced diagnostic method for patients with deep vein problems, venous angiography with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging might be necessary.