Duplex ultrasound

Duplex ultrasonography/duplex sonography

Also known as duplex ultrasonography or duplex sonography, this is a painless and bloodless procedure for diagnosis. It provides more information about the vessels than Doppler ultrasound. Colour duplex ultrasound scanning is the most modern method of examination and is ideally implemented not only for diagnostic investigations, but also to monitor progress and treatment after sclerotherapy or operations.
As with Doppler ultrasound, gel is spread over the relevant area of skin before the examination. This is necessary as any air trapped between the ultrasound probe and the skin would interfere with the examination of the blood vessels.

Duplex ultrasound is a combination of routine ultrasound imaging of the tissues (black/white imaging) and Doppler ultrasound (measurement of blood flow). It can be used to look at both superficial and deep veins, arteries, and the surrounding tissue on the screen. It is also possible to display the rate and direction of the blood flow within the vessels in different colours. This provides important information on thrombosis, disorders of the valves, the extent of disease, and the prognosis of the vein problems.