Obligatory medical device diagnostics.
- Compression phlebosonography (KUS, synonym: vein compression sonography); sonography (ultrasound examination) to document and check the compressibility of the deep veins in the legs and arms) – in cases of suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT); very safe procedure especially in cases of thrombi of the femoral veins or popliteal vein [gold standard].
- Color-coded duplex sonography – to exclude leg vein thrombosis and in cases of suspected thrombi in the hollow/pelvic veins.
- Pulse oximetry (procedure for non-invasive determination of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) via measurement of light absorption).
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination and mandatory laboratory parameters – for differential diagnostic clarification.
- Doppler sonography (color-coded duplex sonography)* – ultrasound procedure, which can assess in particular the blood flow in the vessels.
- Echocardiography (either transthoracic/through the chest or transesophageal/through the esophagus) – for suspected heart failure (cardiac insufficiency).
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Stress ECG
- X-ray chest – to detect myocardial enlargement (dilatation?), pulmonary congestion or pulmonary edema.
- Phlebography (imaging of veins by contrast administration in conventional X-ray) – indicated in sonographically unclear findings.
- Venous occlusion plethysmography – indicated for course assessment, if necessary.
- Magnetic resonance phlebography (MR phlebography) – indicated for suspected abdominal/pelvic thrombi.
- Ascending press phlebography – prior to surgical therapy [gold standard].
- Sonography (ultrasound examination) of the affected body region – to assess tissue changes.
- Abdominal ultrasonography (ultrasound of abdominal organs) – in the first days after presentation [neoplasia (new growth)?; lymph nodes in the abdominopelvic region; examination of liver, spleen, and kidneys]
- Liver sonography (ultrasound of the liver) – if cirrhosis (irreversible (non-reversible) damage to the liver and a marked remodeling of liver tissue) is suspected.
- Renal sonography (ultrasound of the kidneys) – when renal insufficiency (kidney weakness) is suspected.
- Isotope lymphography – shows the functional status of the lymphatic system.
- Magnetic resonance lymphangiography – to visualize the lymphatic vessels with the help of contrast medium.
- Indirect lymphography – imaging of a specific segment; implementation only possible off label.
- Fluorescence microlymphography (using fluorescence microlymphography, the initial skin lymphatic vessels can be visualized in a minimally invasive way and their function can be analyzed) – to determine the morphology of the lymphatic capillaries.
- Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – to exclude tumor disease.
- Light reflection rheography – for suspected chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
* Caution. Lipedema and venous insufficiency (chronic venous congestion syndrome, CVI)/varicosis (varicose veins) have a very high coincidence (coincidence, -meeting of two events), so that the venous status – in the sense of a differential diagnosis – should be clarified by duplex sonography. Under the guise of lipedema, for example, postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) may also be hidden.
