Diagnostics

The first step to successful results is your individualized treatment plan before we work with our hands, we work with our minds! The key: superior diagnostic venous ultrasound/Doppler examination. Benefit from our 2 decades as a nationally accredited vascular ultrasound laboratory, accredited year after year by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. Insist on IAC accreditation for your ultrasound! The basis of your treatment at our vein care office starts with a solid foundation: a meticulously performed diagnostic ultrasound or Doppler examination of your leg veins. This is the ‘road map’ that Dr. Mueller will personally read and use to formulate your personalized treatment plan. This is the key step in your treatment: we use our eyes & minds before we use our hands to deliver superior outcomes! Our talented and nationally credentialed vascular technologists will perform your painless, noninvasive ultrasound examination of your leg veins, which will rule out any blood clots in the legs and will check for any leaking of the valves in the veins of the legs.

Both the deep and superficial veins will be checking great detail, and a virtual map of your leg veins will be constructed for the ultrasound report. No radiation is involved; a microphone bounces sound waves through the tissues and back to the machine which displays the vein structure and function on screen. Water soluble gel will be placed on your skin and wiped off at the end of the examination, which will take approximately 30-45 minutes, and is covered by insurance.This information helps Dr. Mueller determine your best course of treatment, as any significant valve leaking in the superficial veins is a target for treatment with the various tools in our treatment toolbox. Your treatment plan flows from a precise review of your diagnostic ultrasound, the report of which must also be submitted to your insurance company if coverage for treatment is sought.

The importance of accurate venous ultrasound diagnosis does not end here!

Ultrasound is used throughout the entire procedure during endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), ClariVein® ablation, & during ultrasound guided sclerotherapy (chemical injection into large veins to close them down), to guide access of needles and closure devices into the target veins, and to monitor the treatment. Finally, you will have several follow-up visits, most of which will include an ultrasound to ensure that the vein has remained closed, that no new vein valve leaking has occurred, and that no blood clots have developed.

Always be sure that your vein treatment team is nationally credentialed in venous ultrasound at every level, given the importance of accurate diagnosis. Our vascular ultrasound laboratory is nationally accredited by IAC, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, and has successfully undergone reaccreditation every 3 years for much of the past 2 decades. Our two vascular technologists are each credentialed by national accreditation organizations in vascular ultrasound technology (see the ‘Our Staff‘ page). Finally, Dr. Mueller has 3 national-level personal certifications in vascular ultrasound (RVT, RPVI, & RPhS) (See the ‘About Dr. Mueller‘ page). Dr. Mueller has published several scientific articles in the medical literature on the use of ultrasound & associated topics and has presented original research from our practice at national and international conferences on the use of venous ultrasound to improve patient care and advance venous treatment.

Ultrasound Technology used in Our Office State of the art diagnosis starts with state of the art examination technique & equipment. Unlike facilities that scan patients lying down (leading to inaccurate results) or standing up (accurate but tiring for patients and can lead to fainting), we use comfortable electronic tilt tables that patients can recline onto while maintaining the highest test accuracy. We are also one of the few facilities that use a high-tech, painless rapid air inflation cuff device (see image) to compress the leg and assess for vein valve leaking. It replaces the cumbersome manual leg compression the technologist has to perform with their hands, and is much more reproducible and accurate, as well as more comfortable for the patient.

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