Ok, you’re starting to see varicose veins appear on your legs, or you’ve begun to notice that you often experience swollen legs and ankles. You’ve read enough on the Internet to know that there are possibly serious health concerns associated with vein disease and you’d like to visit a vein treatment center in New Jersey to find out for sure whether you have vein disease. At the same time, you’ve never had a venous health screening (also known as a venous reflux exam) before, and you’re not sure what to expect from New Jersey vein experts. Well then, this article is for you.
What does a venous health screening really involve?
As performed by the New Jersey vein experts at Chuback Medical Group, a venous health screening starts with a physical examination to assess your general health, after which we ask you a number of questions designed to find possible risk factors for vein disease. These risks include having a family history of varicose veins or other vein diseases, being overweight or obese, smoking, or leading a sedentary lifestyle. If you are female, we’ll also ask whether you take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, because they also increase your vein disease risk. On the basis of your answers, we may perform some tests.
The purpose of these tests is to determine the cause of any symptoms you might be experiencing, and to check for the presence of venous reflux. That is what happens when the tiny valves that control blood flow through your veins become weak and fail to close properly, allowing blood to flow backwards and pool in your veins. To determine this we perform a noninvasive ultrasound with doppler to assess the size of veins and direction of blood flow. We will also be able to assess for blockages in the veins, also known as superficial or deep venous thrombosis. Ultrasound is painless and much safer than X-rays, because it uses harmless high-frequency sound waves to create is visualizations.
Is that all there is to it?
Pretty much, yes. It doesn’t sound too scary, does it?
In some cases, if there is a strong suspicion of an underlying clotting disorder, then blood work would be ordered. Afterwards, our New Jersey vein experts will analyze the results and, if we find that you do suffer from venous reflux, we will present the most optimal varicose vein treatment options to you and help you decide which you wish to pursue. So now that you know what a venous health screening involves, why not pick up your telephone and call a top vein doctor in Bergen County at 201-693-4847 or go online to set up an appointment for your own screening? Call today. You’ll be happy you did.