Question:
what is a venous duplex?

i have an appt. for a venous duplex, what is this and what will happen?.....i know it has something to do with your viens and blood clots....how can u tell if you have problems in this area? is that easy to tell, or can you go on without knowing about it? thnx to all in advance.    — aida S. (posted on December 10, 2003)

December 9, 2003
The test is called a venous doppler study. It is a ultrasound of your legs (usually just calves although there are people who get clots up higher into the thigh). The test is painless and doesn't take long. They are looking for blood clots in the veins. A blood clot if loosened will travel through the circulatory system until it blocks a blood vessel (like a dam). When the blood gets blocked the area the blood was sapposed to go to dies. This is what happens in a heart attack, or in most strokes. The blood clots that are in the calves generally get "stuck" in the lungs and cause what's called a PE (pulmonary emboli). Although usually not deadly, can be. A sign of a clot in the leg (called a DVT) is warmth, reddness, achiness, pain to the area. A noninvasive test nurses use is to have a person lay down on their back then the nurse presses on the person's feet (flexes the feet), if there is pain in the calf the the test is positive (the Homan's Sign). If you find any of these symptoms you need to let your doctor know ASAP, don't wait. After diagnosised (or if you suspect) a DVT DO NOT MASSAGE the area, this can break the clot loose. The doctor will put you on a blood thinner (usually) and continue to monitor the clot until it naturally desolves. Hope this info helps, sorry so long.
   — Jennifer L.

December 10, 2003
Yes, I agree it was painless. I have had two after being diagnosed with pulmonary embolus.
   — Susan F.

December 10, 2003
This is basically an ultrasound of your leg where they use ultrasound to hear the blood flow in the vein as well as color doppler, which is like doppler radar on the weather channel, to see the motion of the blood flow in your leg. They usually do this all the way down to the back of your knee. During this time they may apply pressure to your leg as they go down. Veins are supposed to compress and if they don't or they see a problem with the motion doppler, it's possible that you may have a clot. They also assess the valves in the vein to make sure they work properly. They will follow the flow all the way to the back of the knee. Usually they wont go all the way down the lower leg because there are so many branches that are so small, it is next to impossible to assess them. From my experience, most of the time, alot of the lower leg pain and swelling that is the result of a clot, the clot is usually in the upper part of the leg. If you do have a clot, they usually put you on a blood thinner. Good luck. Hope this helps.
   — Latrell B.

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