How Ultrasound can Identify Nearly All Deep Vein Thrombosis in Large Veins Above the Knee

Our bodies need lots of nutrients, proteins, and other chemicals to stay alive, and to get them to all body parts, they travel in our blood through our venous system. In addition, this system carries blood back and forth from the heart, the center of circulation that pumps it out everywhere, collecting blood without oxygen (deoxygenated) and converting it to keep us alive.

When we develop problems that keep blood from flowing due to blockages or clots, it makes it harder for the veins to work and can be hazardous to our health, leading to swelling pain and much worse if left untreated. 

Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT for short, is a venous condition that causes clots and can potentially lead to complications like a pulmonary embolism. We can detect this and other vein-related conditions with medical imaging like ultrasound, so let’s learn more about the process and how that works. 

Dr. George Stanley and his University Diagnostic Institute team can help with signs of vein problems and provide treatment for residents in the Winter Park, Lake Mary, or Orlando, Florida, areas.

Understanding DVT

Veins are everywhere and can be seen just under your skin. However, this problem (also known as venous thrombosis) results from a thrombus (clot) developing deeper in your body from injury, family history, obesity, pregnancy, varicose veins, or some cancer treatments. 

DVT alone may not be dangerous and may not even initially show symptoms, but the clots that form can break free and move through the bloodstream, leading to critical conditions like a pulmonary embolism.

This issue affects between one to three out of 100 American adults, leads to 300,000 deaths annually, and often happens in older adults and during a hospital stay from illness or after surgery due to being immobile for extended periods. DVT frequently occurs in your lower body (pelvis, thigh, lower leg) but can happen in many body parts.

Why ultrasounds are effective in diagnosis

Other ways to look for venous problems include X-rays (venography), D dimer blood tests, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the Doppler ultrasound is an optimal choice for closely examining details of real-time movement in veins using soundwaves. 

Emitted by a handheld device, this is the standard for detecting DVT because it provides data about blood pooling or going in the wrong direction, issues preventing blood flow, or the speed or circulation, which are essential for analyzing this illness.

This device also makes it the better choice for penetrating deep into tissue to examine veins and blood vessels in places like your pelvis and thigh. It is used for vein diseases like blood vessel tumors, narrow arteries, injuries, and chronic venous insufficiency. 

What to expect from the procedure

When scheduled for an ultrasound, fasting may be necessary hours before the imaging, and if you smoke or use nicotine patches for smoking, you have to stop both as nicotine narrows blood veins and can distort the results. 

The process starts with you on a table and having a gel applied to the examined area for better sound conduction. Next, the device gets placed and sends high-pitched sound waves that our ears can’t detect, reflecting off your moving blood cells.

There may be a whooshing sound during the process, but once it’s finished, the data is recorded and converted to images for us to review. The whole process generally takes a half hour to an hour.

Ultrasounds are noninvasive and low-risk and are effective in detecting DVT or other deep vein issues. If you need an ultrasound, make an appointment with Dr. Stanley and his staff at University Diagnostic Institute today to get results.