Member Area Login
If this is the first time you are logging into the ASA website or you can't remember your password, please select Get a new password below to be sent a link to your registered email address.
If this is the first time you are logging into the ASA website or you can't remember your password, please select Get a new password below to be sent a link to your registered email address.
Thanks for the question, Royal Darwin!
We got a very enthusiastic response from the group which I'm sure will help.
Every member of the group is in agreement that retrograde flow must be demonstrated in the ovarian veins for them to be labelled incompetent. This is in keeping with the latest classification by the American Vein & Lymphatic Society (Meissner et al 2021).
That isn’t to say diameter isn’t important. The above paper found >70% positive predictive value for reflux in ovarian vein with diameters ranging from 0.5-0.8cm. In actual practice, the overall experience of the vascular SIG is that ovarian veins with a diameter >0.5cm are often incompetent.
As far as protocol is concerned, having the patient well hydrated is definitely the way to go. Patients can be scanned in the supine position – if views of the ovarian veins are equivocal then scanning patient in a semi recumbent or erect position can help.
As part of this scan, you’ll also want to rule in/out left renal vein (Nutcracker)and left common iliac vein compression (May Thurner) as well as performing a full assessment of the IVC and bilateral iliac veins to assess for patency, flow direction and waveform.
One of the SIG members suggested this would be a great topic for a travelling workshop in Darwin – would that be of interest to you?
Thanks
Vasc SIG