Ultrasonido doppler de extremidades inferiores para el estudio de la insuficiencia venosa

Abstract

Venous insufficiency is defined as an impaired venous return, which affects the superficial or the deep system, or both.This condition may be caused either by an alteration in the muscle pump, a venous obstruction, a valvular incompetence or rightsided heart failure. It translates into a dynamic venous hypertension manifested through the development of varicose veins or trophic skin changes. The surface failure is due to the presence of venovenous shunts which provoke a flow loss from the deep system through a vanishing point and then returns through another entry point. The study is performed with the patient in standing position, stimulating muscle pump through various exercises or increasing central pressure with Valsalva maneuver. The mapping is a graphic expression of the study, and it must show the type of shunt, location and pattern of varicose veins.