Minor Procedure Tests

The diagnostic test only takes around 30 minutes to perform and the patient can go home from 1-3 hours after the procedure.

Often, the vascular surgeon may decide to treat the blockages while the patient is still on the table with minimally invasive techniques (endovascular). Think balloon dilatation, roto rooter (atherectomy), and/or stents. If intervention is performed, this may take an additional 1-3 hours.

Venogram

A test used to evaluate narrowing or clots in the veins.  This test is typically done while the patient is sedated, often in the office setting. The neck, groin, leg, or arm are cleaned with betadine and draped in a sterile fashion. Your vascular surgeon then anesthetizes the skin with lidocaine and places a needle and sheath (tube) into the vein. Then, iodine/contrast dye is injected into the vein while an X-ray machine takes pictures of the dye flowing through the veins. Often, intravascular (IVUS) is also used. This ultrasound catheter to look for any narrowing, clots, or blockages inside the vein.

This diagnostic test only takes around 30 minutes to perform and the patient can go home in 1 hour.

Often, the vascular surgeon may decide to treat narrowing with balloons or stents the same day of the diagnostic portion of the test. If intervention is performed, this may take another 1-2 hours.

Fistulogram/AV Graft Angiogram

A test used to evaluate narrowing or clots in a dialysis fistula or graft. This test is done while the patient is sedated, most often in the office setting. The arm is cleaned with betadine and draped in a sterile fashion. Your vascular surgeon anesthetizes the skin with lidocaine and places a needle and sheath (tube) in the fistula/graft. Iodine/contrast dye is injected into the vein while an X-ray machine takes pictures of the dye flowing through the fistula/graft.

The diagnostic test only takes around 30 minutes to perform and the patient can go home in 1 hour.

Often, the vascular surgeon may decide to treat any narrowing with balloons or stents the same day as the diagnostic portion of the test. If intervention is performed, this may take another 1-2 hours.

Port Study

A test used to evaluate problems with central venous ports used for chemotherapy or other intravenous medicines/fluids. This test will tell us if there is a kink or bend in the catheter, a broken catheter, or a hole in the catheter that may be leaking into the fatty tissues. It may show the tip of the catheter has not in an ideal spot in the vein, or may show a blockage or clot in the vein. Basically, it tells us if the port is safe to use or has to be modified or replaced.

This test is done with no sedation. The port is accessed with a needle in a sterile fashion and iodine/contrast dye is injected into the port while an X-ray machine takes pictures of the dye flowing through the port, catheter, and into the vein/vena cava.

This diagnostic test only takes around 30 minutes and you can be discharged immediately after the procedure.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)

A test used to better visualize the arteries or veins in the body. This is an ultrasound device embedded on a small catheter placed inside the blood vessel. It gives the vascular surgeon even better images than an arteriogram or venogram. It will more accurately show the degree of narrowing in the vessel, the type of narrowing in the vessel (plaque, clot, extrinsic compression of the blood vessel, or scar tissue within the blood vessel/intimal hyperplasia). It may also help the vascular surgeon determine the size of the blood vessel for more accurate balloon dilatation or stent placement.