The fact that you can only tell for sure that there are clots if you "go in" again (venogram) sucks

They did not do the ultrasound on me (or any tests for that matter) because I brought the test results from Poland with me.CD wrote:An IVUS ([3-D color] Interventional Radiology Ultra-Sound) like the first one you had, if you did have one, will show if you have clots.
Whew, because I thought my tiredness when on blood thinners after Poland was due to jet lag, but I did feel very tired then too.CD wrote:Yes, the blood thinners do make you very tired. I felt it every time I took a shot or a pill.
Thanks! I logically know it is the case, but still "panic"CD wrote:Also, the veins need to heal, so don't worry.
See, Dr. Harris said that a US would be useless to detect clotsCD wrote: Get an US if you feel you need it.
CD wrote:Did you have any improvements that disappeared? That is a sign of restenosis, not always a clot. JMO
Some confusion: an IVUS is an intravascular ultrasound, it goes on the catheter into the veins to take images from the inside of the vein. The external ultrasound against the neck is simply a doppler ultrasound.CD wrote:An IVUS ([3-D color] Interventional Radiology Ultra-Sound) like the first one you had, if you did have one, will show if you have clots.
The ultrasound shows the flow; if a clot in the jugular is blocking the flow, it will show.See, Dr. Harris said that a US would be useless to detect clots
CD wrote:Did you have any improvements that disappeared? That is a sign of restenosis, not always a clot. JMO
Everyone's case is different, but I remember pklittle being told for a long time that she didn't need to be seen because she didn't have any improvements and therefore didn't lose any improvements, but in her case it turned out to be a clot, which was lousy bad luck.No, no improvements to speak of.
in the US, insurers will not reimburse for the IVUS....but it is the right thing to doCD wrote:Sorry, yes you're correct Cece. I heard Dr Sclafani mention this at the July Symposium, and thought is was the outside US one, not the inside one. My mistake. I'll blame the pain drugs.
FYI: In the UK:
"They have been trialing the use of intravenous ultrasound (IVUS) in CCSVI treatment to see the lesions better and assess the completeness of the treatment.
IVUS is a state of the art imaging technology which uses a miniature ultrasound probe and gives a 3D image from within the vein. This not only magnifies the imaging of the CCSVI lesions but also allows direct examination of the internal jugular valves."
The IVUS probes are expensive and unfortunately are for single use only. This is from the Edinburgh Clinic. Costs will be rising there since they use them routinely.
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