3 Components

• Patient Positioning
• Vein Compression
• Flow & Augmentation

3 Compression Points
• Common Femoral Vein
• Saphenofemoral Junction
• Popliteal Vein
 Patient Positioning
• Common Femoral +
Saphenofemoral
Junction
– Reverse Trendelenburg
(fills the veins) or semi-
sitting with 30 degrees
of hip flexion
– Mild external rotation
(30 degrees) hip
• Popliteal Vein
– Prone, decubitus
position, or seated on
edge of gurney
– Knee flexed 10–30
degree
– Reverse Trendelenburg
 Vein Compression - Findings
• Normal • Abnormal
–
– Compressible –
Noncompressible
No touching with pressures sufficient to
– Touching of the anterior –
deform the artery indicates DVT
Edema, tenderness over the calf, Homan's
and posterior walls sign
– Loss of phasic flow on Valsalva maneuver
– Absent color flow if completely occlusive
– Lack of flow augmentation with calf
squeeze
– Increased flow in superficial veins
 Flow & Augmentation
• The purpose of the • Augmentation is an
color flow is to show increase in blood flow
that there are no filling as a response to
defects in the examined contraction of calf
vein muscles
• Achieved either by the
examiner compressing
the muscle or by the
patient moving their
foot up and down