Venous disorders

Our specialists diagnose and treat all types of venous disorders, using the most advanced technologies available. And with many hospitals and clinics throughout eastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois, you can find expert care that's coordinated, convenient, and close to you.

What are venous disorders?

Venous disorders are conditions that damage your veins. Veins are the blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood from your organs and tissues back to your heart. In contrast, arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your organs and tissues.

There are many different types of venous disorders, and they can develop for many different reasons. Some of the more common disorders include:

• Blood clots
• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Phlebitis
• Varicose and spider veins

Venous disorder symptoms

Your symptoms can vary depending on the type of venous disorder. Some common symptoms you may experience include:

• Burning, itchy or discolored skin on your leg
• Pain, swelling or inflammation in a leg or along a vein
• Leg sores that are slow to heal
• Fatigue

Venous disorder diagnosis

If you have symptoms of a venous disorder, we’re here to help. We’ll start with a complete physical exam and may order lab and diagnostic tests for you to see how well blood is flowing through your veins.

Tests we may use include:

• Blood tests
• Radiographic imaging, such as X-rays, CT scan, and MRI
• Ultrasound that uses sound waves to detect blood clots and observe blood flow in the legs

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis.

Venous disorder treatment

We’ll thoroughly explain to you all the options available to treat your venous disorder. Depending on the condition and severity of your symptoms, these options can range from lifestyle changes like wearing compression stockings to the latest in minimally invasive procedures or surgery. Together, we’ll develop a treatment plan that’s right for you.

We may recommend:

• Medications to prevent and dissolve clots in your veins
• Compression therapy or stockings
• Angioplasty or stenting to open blocked or narrowed veins
• Sclerotherapy, where we insert a solution into varicose or spider veins so they collapse and eventually disappear
• Vein ligation and stripping to tie off and remove damaged veins
• Vena cava filter, where we insert a device inside your vein to catch blood clots before they travel to your lungs
• Vascular or endovascular surgery for more advanced conditions