The board-certified specialists at Premier Cardiology Consultants, with locations throughout New York City, have earned a solid reputation for providing top-level care that combines medical expertise with the most advanced technology available.
Read how they use vascular ultrasound to map the blood flow through your veins, and why that matters when it comes to diagnosing and treating varicose veins.
Veins are the vessels in your circulatory system that return blood back to your heart for replenishment of the oxygen and other nutrients your skin, muscles, and other tissue structures require for survival. Tiny flap-like valves within the veins open and close regularly to help keep blood flowing toward your heart.
Varicose veins, most common in the legs, occur when these valves fail to function properly. This allows blood to pool in the vein, which causes the bulging, discoloration, and other cosmetic concerns associated with varicose veins.
Other symptoms of varicose veins include:
Note that varicose veins also increase your risk of developing a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis) in the deeper veins of your legs, a medically serious condition.
Ultrasound technology uses sound waves rather than radiation employed during X-rays or other imaging techniques to produce real-time pictures of various structures within your body. A vascular ultrasound, sometimes referred to as venous ultrasound, focuses on your veins and arteries.
Your Premier Cardiology specialist may recommend a vascular ultrasound to help pinpoint the damaged valves and abnormal blood flow responsible for varicose veins.
The technology is also valued for its ability to identify blood clots and other damage in the deeper veins that aren’t visible on the surface. A Doppler study, a specialized form of ultrasound, is especially beneficial for mapping blood flow through veins, arteries, and organs.
In addition, the ultrasound is a very effective aid in treating problematic veins. It allows your specialist to “see” within the targeted vessel during treatment. This enhances the precision of various vein remedies such as ablation or sclerotherapy procedures, and helps prevent damage to nearby healthy veins or nerves.
Despite its many effective uses in diagnosing and treating problematic veins, an ultrasound is noninvasive and essentially painless. You won’t require any special preparation in advance of the study, which is performed in-office for your convenience and generally takes less than an hour.
At the start of the study, the doctor applies water-soluble gel to the skin of the area targeted for examination. He then presses a small hand-held device (transducer) firmly over the region, which produces inaudible sound waves.
As the waves bounce off tissue structures in your legs, they create images that are interpreted and then transformed by a nearby computer into screenshots or short videos of your veins. You can expect to resume normal activity immediately following the study.
Your Premier Cardiology provider will carefully review the results of the ultrasound and make recommendations for further treatment as necessary.
Put an end to the discomfort and cosmetic frustrations associated with varicose veins. Schedule an evaluation at Premier Cardiology Consultants today.
