Venous Insufficiency: Under Treated or Under Diagnosed

9th December, 2011 - Posted by Dr. Gupta - No Comments

80 million people living in the United States have some form of venous disorder making this more prevalent than arterial disease. Incompetent valves allow blood to flow backward in the veins causing pooling, congestion, and increased pressure which results in pain, edema, aching, restlessness, cramping, discoloration and fatigue. Ultimately, this can lead to serious inflammation, deep vein clots and ulcerations.  Often patients present with a variety of complaints; many of which are attributed to other causes. For instance, a patient who comes in with complaints of edema will often have cardiac testing done, or a patient with leg cramps are ordered blood tests to determine if sodium and potassium levels are within normal limits. Many of these people have additional symptoms of venous insufficiency such as discoloration, spider veins, itching or burning; however an ultrasound study is never completed.  Sadly, this means a large number of people out there suffering, are never getting the treatment they need.  

Accurately diagnosing vein disease consists of taking a very detailed patient history including a physical examination. A duplex ultrasound is the only way to determine the presence of reflux or blood traveling backwards in the vein.  Additionally, it provides valuable information including location of reflux, actual diameter of the veins and which vessels are best treated with the different treatment options available.  New and improved laser treatments have made vein stripping procedures obsolete.  To learn more, watch our short video on EVLA’s under treatments.