Partial or incomplete treatment rarely leads to good results. Therefore, at Madison Vein & Laser Institute, all of our patients undergo pre-treatment evaluation using state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment to ensure they receive the most appropriate, complete, and successful treatment available.
Consultation
At the time of your consultation, a screening ultrasound evaluation will be performed
personally by Dr. Erdman to evaluate the function of your superficial and deep venous
network. Because broken veins allow blood to flow back down the leg in the wrong
direction, with the force of gravity, this screening evaluation is always performed
with our patients standing. (Evaluations performed with a patient lying down are less
sensitive and specific for this purpose.)
Large Varicose Veins
If you are found to have large varicose veins, you will be scheduled for a full diagnostic ultrasound venous flow mapping with our ultrasound technician, utilizing one of the premiere ultrasound machines currently available. (Lesser equipment often fails to "see" the problem.) This diagnostic scan will fully
evaluate all of the deep and superficial veins in your leg, definitively determine
what is broken and what is normal, and show us the flow patterns and interconnections
that we need to be aware of to determine the best individual plan of care for you. Please note that upright (standing) ultrasound venous flow mapping is now considered the pre-treatment standard of care and should be done prior to ALL treatments being planned for varicose veins.
Smaller Spider Veins And Blue-Green Reticular Veins
If no large varicose veins are found, you will then undergo evaluation with Veinlite,
a fiber-optic light used to transilluminate the skin. Veinlite is able to uniformly
transilluminate the skin, so that much better imaging of the superficial veins is
achieved. Knowledge of the surrounding "feeder" vessels and interconnections in the
areas to be treated will allow us to provide you the longest lasting and cosmetically
attractive treatment currently available.
Please be aware that it literally takes years for vein problems to develop, and simply because you can’t see any large varicose veins on the surface of your skin does not guarantee they are not present and simply too deep to view without ultrasound. Therefore if you are considering treatment for ANY type of lower extremity vein problems, including spider veins, you should undergo an ultrasound screening evaluation first! If you are not checked, and it turns out you have an underlying large vein problem, you may be wasting your time and money on a treatment that never had a chance to work in the first place!
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