A venogram is a test that lets to see the veins in your body, especially in your legs, and belly area (abdomen)by using x-rays and a radiographic contrast material. A special harmless dye is injected that can be seen on an X-ray. Venography is an x-ray examination that uses an injection of contrast material to show how blood flows through your veins. Your doctor may use it to find blood clots, identify a vein for use in a bypass procedure or dialysis access, or assess varicose veins before surgery. This allows us to see your veins more clearly and identify any blockages or damage.

Veins are not normally seen in an x-ray. That is why the contrast material is used. The health care provider injects this dye into a vein so it shows up better on x-rays.

A venogram can be done in several ways:

• Ascending venography. This looks for a DVT and finds out where it is in your vein.
• Descending venography. This looks at how well your deep vein valves are working.
• Venography of the upper extremities. This looks for blockages, blood clots, or other vascular problems in your neck and armpits.
• Venacavography. This looks at your inferior or superior vena cava. The vena cava is the vein that brings blood to your heart. The healthcare provider looks for blockages or other problems.

What are some common uses of the procedure?

A venogram is commonly used to:

• assess the status of a vein or system of veins
• find blood clots within the veins
• assess varicose veins before surgery
• find a vein in good condition to use for a bypass procedure or dialysis access
• help a physician place an IV or a medical device, such as a stent, in a vein
• guide treatment of diseased veins.

What happens during a venogram?

You may have the venogram done as an outpatient or as part of your stay in a hospital. The way the test is done may vary depending on your condition and your healthcare provider’s practices.

Generally, a lower leg venogram follows this process:

1. You will be asked to remove your jewelry or other objects that might get in the way of the test.
2. You will be asked to remove clothing. You will be given a gown to wear.
3. The healthcare provider may use a pen to mark places on your leg where pulses are before the test. This will make it easier for the medical team to check the pulses after the test.
4. You will lie on your back on the X-ray table.
5. The healthcare provider will clean an area on your foot. Then he or she will put an intravenous (IV) line into a vein in your foot.
6. The healthcare provider will inject the contrast dye. You may feel some effects when the dye is added to the IV line. These effects include a flushing sensation, a brief headache, nausea, or vomiting. These effects usually last for a few moments. Let the healthcare provider know if you are having problems breathing, itchy skin, or hives.
7. The healthcare provider will take X-rays at timed intervals as the dye moves through your legs.
8. The healthcare provider may use a tourniquet on your leg to control how fast the blood flows.
9. When the test is done, the healthcare provider will flush the IV site, and remove the needle from the vein.
10. The healthcare provider will put a pressure dressing over the puncture site.

What happens after a venogram?

After the procedure, the medical team will watch your heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure. They will also check the pulses in your feet, as well as the temperature, color, and sensation in your legs. They will watch the injection site for redness, warmth, swelling, and tenderness.

You can go back to your normal activities and diet as directed by your healthcare provider.

Drink plenty of fluids to keep from getting dehydrated. This will also help the contrast dye to leave your body.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these:

• Fever of 100.4°F (38.0°C) or higher or chills
• Pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site
• Bleeding or other drainage from the injection site

Your healthcare provider may give you additional instructions, depending on your situation.

Renal venogram

Venogram – renal; Venography; Venogram – kidney; Renal vein thrombosis – venogram

A renal venogram is a test to look at the veins in the kidney. It uses x-rays and a special dye (called contrast).

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation like light, but of higher energy, so they can move through the body to form an image. Structures that are dense (such as bone) will appear white and air will be black. Other structures will be shades of gray.

Veins are not normally seen in an x-ray. That is why the special dye is needed. The dye highlights the veins so they show up better on x-rays.

How the Test is Performed

This test is done in a hospital. You will lie on an x-ray table. Local anesthetic is used to numb the area where the dye is injected. You may ask for a calming medicine (sedative) if you are anxious about the test.

The health care provider places a needle into a vein, most often in the groin but occasionally in the neck. Next, a flexible tube called a catheter (which is the width of the tip of a pen) is inserted into the groin and moved through the vein until it reaches the vein in the kidney. A blood sample may be taken from each kidney. The contrast dye flows through this tube. X-rays are taken as the dye moves through the kidney veins.

This procedure is monitored by fluoroscopy, a type of x-ray that creates images on a TV screen.

Once the images are taken, the catheter is removed and a bandage is placed over the wound.

How to Prepare for the Test

You will be told to avoid food and drinks for about 8 hours before the test. Your doctor may tell you to stop taking aspirin or other blood thinners before the test. DO NOT stop taking any medicine without first talking to your doctor.

You will be asked to wear hospital clothing and to sign a consent form for the procedure. You will need to remove any jewelry from the area that is being studied.

Tell the provider if you:

• Are pregnant
• Have allergies to any medicine, contrast dye, or iodine
• Have a history of bleeding problems

How the Test will Feel

You will lie flat on the x-ray table. There is often a cushion but it is not as comfortable as a bed. You may feel a sting when the anesthesia medicine is given. You will not feel the dye. You may feel some pressure and discomfort as the catheter is positioned.

There may be mild tenderness and bruising at the site where the catheter was placed.

Why the Test is Performed

This test is not done very often anymore. It has largely been replaced by CT scan and MRI. In the past the test was used to measure levels of kidney hormones.

Rarely, the test may be used to detect blood clots , tumors , and vein problems. Its most common use today is as part of an exam to treat varicose veins of the testicles or ovaries.

Normal Results

There should not be any clots or tumors in the kidney vein. The dye should flow quickly through the vein and not back up to the testes or ovaries.

What Abnormal Results Mean

Abnormal results may be due to:

• Blood clot that partially or completely blocks the vein
• Kidney tumor
• Vein problem

Risks

Risks from this test may include:

• Allergic reaction to the contrast dye
• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Injury to a vein

There is low-level radiation exposure. However, most experts feel that the risk of most x-rays is smaller than other risks we take every day. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the x-ray.

Venogram – leg

Phlebogram – leg; Venography – leg; Angiogram – leg

Venography for legs is a test used to see the veins in the leg.

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, like visible light is. However, these rays are of higher energy. Therefore, they can go through the body to form an image on film. Structures that are dense (such as bone) will appear white, air will be black, and other structures will be shades of gray.

Veins are not normally seen in an x-ray, so a special dye is used to highlight them. This dye is called contrast.

How the Test is Performed

This test is usually done in a hospital. You will be asked to lie on an x-ray table. A numbing medicine is applied to the area. You may ask for a sedative if you are anxious about the test.

The health care provider places a needle into a vein in the foot of the leg being looked at. An intravenous  (IV) line is inserted through the needle. The contrast dye flows through this line into the vein. A tourniquet may be placed on your leg so the dye flows into the deeper veins.

X-rays are taken as the dye flows through the leg.

The catheter is then removed, and the puncture site is bandaged.

How to Prepare for the Test

You will wear hospital clothing during this procedure. You will be asked to sign a consent form for the procedure. Remove all jewelry from the area being imaged.

Tell the provider:

• If you are pregnant
• If you have allergies to any medicines
• Which medicines you are taking (including any herbal preparations)
• If you have ever had any allergic reactions to x-ray contrast material or iodine substance

How the Test will Feel

The x-ray table is hard and cold. You may want to ask for a blanket or pillow. You will feel a sharp poke when the intravenous catheter is inserted. As the dye is injected, you may experience a burning sensation.

There may be tenderness and bruising at the site of the injection after the test.

Why the Test is Performed

This test is used to identify and locate blood clots in the veins of the legs.

Normal Results

Free flow of the blood through the vein is normal.

What Abnormal Results Mean

Abnormal results may be due to a blockage. The blockage can be caused by:

• Blood clot
• Tumor
• Inflammation

Risks

Risks of this test are:

• Allergic reaction to the contrast dye
• Kidney failure, especially in the older adults or people with diabetes who take the medicine metformin (Glucophage)
• Worsening of a clot in the leg vein

There is low radiation exposure. However, most experts feel that the risk of most x-rays is smaller than other daily risks. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the x-ray.

Considerations

Ultrasound is used more often than this test because it has fewer risks and side effects. MRI and CT scans may also be used to look at the veins in the leg.

Renal venogram

Venogram – renal; Venography; Venogram – kidney; Renal vein thrombosis – venogram

A renal venogram is a test to look at the veins in the kidney. It uses x-rays and a special dye (called contrast).

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation like light, but of higher energy, so they can move through the body to form an image. Structures that are dense (such as bone) will appear white and air will be black. Other structures will be shades of gray.

Veins are not normally seen in an x-ray. That is why the special dye is needed. The dye highlights the veins so they show up better on x-rays.

How the Test is Performed

This test is done in a hospital. You will lie on an x-ray table. Local anesthetic is used to numb the area where the dye is injected. You may ask for a calming medicine (sedative) if you are anxious about the test.

The health care provider places a needle into a vein, most often in the groin but occasionally in the neck. Next, a flexible tube called a catheter (which is the width of the tip of a pen) is inserted into the groin and moved through the vein until it reaches the vein in the kidney. A blood sample may be taken from each kidney. The contrast dye flows through this tube. X-rays are taken as the dye moves through the kidney veins.

This procedure is monitored by fluoroscopy, a type of x-ray that creates images on a TV screen.

Once the images are taken, the catheter is removed and a bandage is placed over the wound.

How to Prepare for the Test

You will be told to avoid food and drinks for about 8 hours before the test. Your doctor may tell you to stop taking aspirin or other blood thinners before the test. DO NOT stop taking any medicine without first talking to your doctor.

You will be asked to wear hospital clothing and to sign a consent form for the procedure. You will need to remove any jewelry from the area that is being studied.

Tell the provider if you:

• Are pregnant
• Have allergies to any medicine, contrast dye, or iodine
• Have a history of bleeding problems

How the Test will Feel

You will lie flat on the x-ray table. There is often a cushion but it is not as comfortable as a bed. You may feel a sting when the anesthesia medicine is given. You will not feel the dye. You may feel some pressure and discomfort as the catheter is positioned.

There may be mild tenderness and bruising at the site where the catheter was placed.

Why the Test is Performed

This test is not done very often anymore. It has largely been replaced by CT scan and MRI. In the past the test was used to measure levels of kidney hormones.

Rarely, the test may be used to detect blood clots , tumors , and vein problems. Its most common use today is as part of an exam to treat varicose veins of the testicles or ovaries.

Normal Results

There should not be any clots or tumors in the kidney vein. The dye should flow quickly through the vein and not back up to the testes or ovaries.

What Abnormal Results Mean

Abnormal results may be due to:

• Blood clot that partially or completely blocks the vein
• Kidney tumor
• Vein problem

Risks

Risks from this test may include:

• Allergic reaction to the contrast dye
• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Injury to a vein

There is low-level radiation exposure. However, most experts feel that the risk of most x-rays is smaller than other risks we take every day. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the x-ray.

Next steps

Before you agree to the test or the procedure make sure you know:

• The name of the test or procedure
• The reason you are having the test or procedure
• What results to expect and what they mean
• The risks and benefits of the test or procedure
• What the possible side effects or complications are
• When and where you are to have the test or procedure
• Who will do the test or procedure and what that person’s qualifications are
• What would happen if you did not have the test or procedure
• Any alternative tests or procedures to think about
• When and how will you get the results
• Who to call after the test or procedure if you have questions or problems
• How much will you have to pay for the test or procedure