In this section
If your consultant has decided you need bypass surgery for a blocked artery in your heart or leg, they may send you for a vascular lab assessment called Vein Mapping. During the bypass surgery, the surgeon will need to take a vein, usually from your leg, to use as a replacement artery, to redirect blood flow around the blockage. Before they do this, they may need to ensure that you have enough suitable vein for the procedure, and a vein map report will provide them with this information.
During the assessment, a Vascular Scientist will apply some cool gel to you leg with an ultrasound scanner, which will image the superficial veins in your leg. A series of measurements will than be taken of the vein, and any problems such as blocked areas of the vein will also be examined and reported. Depending on the type of bypass you need and your doctor’s requirements, we may need to draw a line onto your leg representing the vein, to guide the surgeon in the procedure.