Color Duplex for Diagnosis of Venous Reflux

Venous reflux disease is the significant contributing pathology for limb swelling in the outpatient population. Reflux can occur at different degrees and levels, with presentation specific to each level and type of reflux. Understanding the entire pathophysiology and possible consequences is imperative in establishing an adequate treatment strategy. Currently, venous duplex ultrasound is the main diagnostic test used to characterize anatomy and physiology of lower extremity venous reflux. This chapter will provide a simple understanding to the pathology of venous reflux disease and detail the appropriate technique for performing a reflux duplex study.