Tests and Procedures for Peripheral Venous Disease
541-222-7218; 888-240-6484 (toll free)
In order to make a proper diagnosis, your doctor will first perform a physical exam and possibly also recommend that you undergo one of the following tests:
Doppler Ultrasound Imaging is a simple, 15-30-minute non-invasive test done in the lab to see if there is anything blocking blood flow in your veins. The ultrasound reflects sound waves and helps a doctor evaluate blood flow through a vein on the arms, neck or legs.
Venography is a two-hour test using dyes and an x-ray to show the site of any blood clots or unusual blockage or narrowing in the veins of the arms or legs. Using a narrow, flexible tube called a catheter, the technician injects a dye into the veins of your arm or leg. The dye makes it easier to see your veins during the x-ray, which is called a venogram.
A VQ scan is a one-hour test, done in Sacred Heart Medical Center’s Nuclear Medicine Department, used to determine if you have a potentially fatal blood clot in the lungs. For the scan, you lie on a table while a special camera takes a number of pictures of your chest from different angles. Using a thin, flexible tube called a catheter, the technician injects a slightly radioactive solution into a vein in your arm or leg. The technician also asks you to breathe through a tube that contains a mixture of air, oxygen and a slightly radioactive gas called xenon. The special camera detects the radioactive materials, which help measure oxygen in the blood and airflow in the lungs. The test is safe and painless. The radioactivity you will be exposed to is too small to cause complications or side effects. From the pictures taken during the test, your doctor can determine the probability of your having a blood clot in your lungs and decide the next course of action.
Contact us at the number above to learn more about these and other services available at Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute.