Vascular Surgeon Questions Cardiovascular Diseases

What is a venogram?

My son is 5 years old and has been detected with abnormalities in his vascular functioning. He has been recommended a venogram test. What is this test and is it painful for a child?

10 Answers

A venogram is a procedure where a needle/catheter is inserted into the vein and fluoroscopy is performed with dye to look at the flow or anatomy. It's a useful diagnostic modality and treatment can also be performed at the same time. I wouldn't consider in painful. I tell my patients it may feel like a blood draw and once the catheter is in usually you shouldn't feel anything more. We also use local medication to numb the area prior to accessing the vein so it's more comfortable. I think your 5-year-old should be okay with it. Post-procedure, there should be very minimal discomfort.
Hope this helps.
There are two types of blood vessels in your body, arteries and veins. The arteries move the blood from Your heart down to your feet and the veins return the blood from your feet back up towards your heart.

A venogram is it test where you put a fine needle or a catheter in one of the veins in the lower leg and inject a contrast, typically an iodine-based contrast.

This is a very common procedure, it does require the use of needles. In a five-year-old your surgeon or a radiologist is probably looking for a congenital or birth related occurrence. It would definitely be appropriate to do the venogram. This would typically be Done with local anesthesia as well as sedation.
A venogram is a way to image the venous system. A needle or catheter is inserted into a vein and contrast is injected. X-rays are taken which show the contrast or dye traveling through the veins. This is a way to determine if there is an abnormality within the vein (such as a blockage, clot or a connection to the arterial system known as an arteriovenous malformation).
Is an X-ray with intravenous contrast usually done under sedation in a child
Most children who need to have some form of invasive procedure generally require general anesthesia. I am assuming that this test is going to be performed and a dedicated Children's Hospital. If not it needs to be. Venograms usually have very little pain associated with some but it can be quite terrifying for a young child hence the need for the anesthesia.
Venogram is picture of the veins taken by injecting contrast dye via the distal vein to see the proximal vein.
It is not that painful.
Venagrams are studies of the veins with contrast agents. It can be done by placing an iv in arm arm or leg. Typically they are not painful. Just the placement of the iv may be. Have them use a lidocaine patch on the skin where the iv is going to lessen the pain
Venogram is a procedure where we place a small catheter in the vein, could be the groin or arm, and inject contrast to highlight the blood flow. Usually, it’s done with intravenous sedation and local anesthesia, but sometimes in kids, it can be done under general anesthesia.

Thanks,

Ramandeep Sidhu
A venogram is an invasive study (i.e., a needle and catheter is placed into the vein so as to inject dye into the vein to evaluate its anatomy). 5-year-olds generally need anesthesia for the study to keep them comfortable and still during the procedure. If the study is a CT venogram (a CAT scan), the same will apply, but it is less invasive as the IV goes into a small arm/leg vein.
It would be important to know what kind of venous abnormality your doctor is looking for. A venogram is a study where contrast is injected into a vein, usually through an IV, and X-rays are taken. Occasionally, a patient is sedated to undergo a venogram. It’s not necessarily painful, but IV contrast can burn.