Phillips G W, Paige J, Molan M P
Department of Radiology, University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia.
Clin Radiol. 1995 Jan;50(1):20-5. doi: 10.1016/s0009-9260(05)82960-5.
Ninety-three legs in 68 consecutive patients presenting for preoperative assessment of varicose veins were examined by a combination of ascending venography with varicography and also by colour duplex ultrasound. Ninety-one to ninety-two per cent of incompetent sapheno-femoral and sapheno-popliteal communications were demonstrated by ascending venography/varicography and 92-95% by ultrasound. Ascending venography/varicography demonstrated 83-90% of incompetent perforators whilst ultrasound demonstrated only 40-63%. We conclude that ultrasound is an accurate method of assessing primary and recurrent sapheno-femoral and sapheno-popliteal incompetence but is of limited value in assessing perforator incompetence. This is a significant limitation of ultrasound in view of the importance of perforator disease, and it is likely that this technique can only be used in combination with other venographic methods.
