Mayo Clinic Health Manager

Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.

Get Started

Free

E-Newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

To diagnose varicose veins, your doctor will do a physical exam, including looking at your legs while you're standing to check for swelling. Your doctor may also ask you to describe any pain and aching in your legs.

You may also need an ultrasound test to see if the valves in your veins are functioning normally or if there's any evidence of a blood clot. In this noninvasive test, you lie on an examination table. A small amount of warm gel is applied to your skin. The gel helps eliminate the formation of air pockets between the transducer and your body. During an ultrasound, a technician trained in ultrasound imaging (sonographer) presses a small hand-held device (transducer), about the size of a bar of soap, against your skin over the area of your body being examined, moving from one area to another as necessary. The transducer transmits images of the veins in your legs to a monitor, so a technician and your doctor can see them.

References
  1. Varicose veins. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/vv/vv_all.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
  2. Greenberg DL. Varicose veins of the leg. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 10, 2008.
  3. Beebe-Dimmer JL, et al. The epidemiology of chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins. Annals of Epidemiology. 2005;15:175.
  4. Varicose veins and venous insufficiency. Society of Interventional Radiology. http://www.sirweb.org/patients/varicose-veins/. Accessed Dec. 10, 2008.
  5. Spider vein, varicose vein therapy. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/cosmetic_spider.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
  6. Horse chestnut. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.

DS00256

Jan. 16, 2009

© 1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Text Size: smaller largerlarger