Bedside ultrasound has been shown to correlate very well with formal duplex sonography in detecting deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A limited, two-point compression technique is generally employed which verifies flow and compressibility in the common femoral and popliteal veins.
Focused Questions:
Is there flow in the vein?
Is the vein compressible?
Video Overview:
Required Views:
1. Femoral vein
Probe position
Image
Notes
Visualize the femoral vein and femoral artery proximally, just distal to the inguinal ligament
Use color Doppler to check for flow in the vein (vein is usually medial to artery)
Check that the vein compresses totally
Often a split screen is used to show the vessels without (Left screen) and with compression (Right screen)
Abnormal Studies
2. Popliteal vein
Probe position
Image
Notes
Visualize the popliteal vein and artery in the popliteal fossa
Use color Doppler to check for flow in the vein (vein is usually superfical to artery)
Check that the vein compresses totally
Often a split screen is used to show the vessels without (Left screen) and with compression (Right screen)
