Duplex Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Acute and Chronic Venous Diseases

Venous diseases are highly prevalent, mostly caused by valve incompetence and/or obstruction of the vein lumen. Signs and symptoms are diverse and unspecific. Careful clinical assessment and imaging interpretation are crucial to diagnosis. Duplex ultrasound is the first choice and often the gold standard imaging technique for this purpose, providing information on the anatomy and function of the veins. This article describes the sonographic anatomic and hemodynamic criteria used for the diagnosis of venous reflux, venous obstruction, and the most frequent complications after interventions in the superficial, perforating, and deep venous systems.