Exams and Tests

Upon hearing the patient's symptoms, the healthcare provider will suspect that the patient has a deep vein thrombosis, especially if they have any of the risk factors.

No accurate blood test is available to diagnose deep vein thrombosis. Therefore, a variety of imaging tests are used to confirm the diagnosis.

• Doppler ultrasound: Using high-frequency sound waves, this system can visualize the large, proximal veins and detects a clot if one is present. Painless and without complications, this is the most commonly used method to diagnose deep vein thrombosis. Sometimes the test can miss a clot, especially in the smaller veins.
  
  
• Venography: A liquid dye is injected into the veins for imaging studies. It highlights blockage of blood flow by a clot. This is the most accurate test, but also the most uncomfortable and invasive. It is rarely done today because of the availability of better ultrasound machines.
  
  
• Impedance plethysmography: Electrodes are used to measure volume changes within veins. Because this test does not detect clots better than ultrasound and is harder to perform, it is rarely used.
  
  
• CT scan: This is a type of x-ray that gives a very detailed look at the leg veins in cross section and can detect clots. It is rarely used for this purpose as it is more difficult to interpret and is time consuming. The CT scan is more useful for identification of blood clots in the lung.

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