Lower extremity venous imaging for the echocardiologist.

Cardiologists who are familiar with the techniques and the performance of echocardiography can easily learn how to study the lower extremity veins in their patients by using ultrasound imaging combined with pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography (duplex scanning). In particular, duplex scanning is useful for diagnosing deep or superficial venous thrombosis, for assessing venous incompetence, and for mapping the superficial veins before surgical harvesting for bypass operations. Because questions about the veins arise frequently in the treatment of cardiovascular patients, the cardiologist who is knowledgeable about veins and venous disease can play a central role in the diagnostic workup and treatment of these patients.