Role of Ultrasound

• To exclude deep vein thrombosis as a cause for pain and swelling in the lower limb.
•  As a screening tool in post- operative lower limb surgery.
• Looking for a source of an embolus in patients with a known pulmonary embolus

  What is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)?

It is a blood clot which forms in a vein, most commonly in the leg.

Symptoms of a DVT

These include pain, swelling and redness of the leg.

What happens during the Ultrasound?

Wear comfortable clothes which are easy to take off if you need to. A dress or skirt is preferred for females or loose fitting pants for males. You will be asked to lie on your back on the examination bed with the leg slightly externally rotated.Water soluble gel is applied to the skin to allow better contact between the skin and the transducer thus improving visualization. With the use of a high frequency transducer, the deep veins (femoral and popliteal) are examined from the groin down to the distal femur (behind the knee). During the examination, pressure will be applied on the relevant veins to compress them so as to assess them adequately.             

Limitations

Obese patients or patients with extensive oedema of the surrounding soft tissue reduce the image quality, thus limiting visualization which results in only being able to exclude occlusive thrombus( that which causes a complete blockage Detail may also be limited in patients with sutures, prosthesis, bandages and open wounds