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Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Combined Supine and Standing Imaging for Varicocele: An Improved Diagnostic Approach
Published on: November 22, 2024
Intravascular ultrasound is a key diagnostic tool in subclavian vein varicosity
Elliot J Stein1, Deepak Sudheendra2
1Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
Abstract:
Varicose veins of the neck are far less common than lower extremity varicosities. Often, neck varicosities can be a sign of a more central venous obstruction. Here, we describe a patient with no risk factors for central venous obstruction who presented with a recurrent left subclavian vein (LSV) varicosity causing significant pain and discomfort that was recalcitrant to repeated phlebectomy. Venography revealed a dilated LSV with no significant venographic stenosis in the LSV or brachiocephalic vein. Intravascular ultrasound subsequently revealed a culprit hypertrophied valve that was successfully treated with valvuloplasty, resulting in durable resolution of the patient's symptoms, suggesting that intravascular ultrasound was essential in the diagnosis and treatment of this hypertrophied valve.
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