Dictionary
The words, in plain language
Reports, referrals and specialist letters come with vocabulary. Every term here is explained the way we’d tell a friend — so you can walk into appointments speaking the language.
Compression stockings (and classes)
Graduated-pressure garments that squeeze pooled blood upward — the workhorse of vein care, sized in pressure classes that actually mean something.
Duplex ultrasound
An ultrasound that shows both vein structure and blood flow direction — the standard first test for leaking valves, best done standing up.
DVT (deep vein thrombosis)
A blood clot in a deep vein, usually the leg — sudden one-sided swelling and pain that needs same-day care, and sometimes the clue to a compression.
Embolisation
A keyhole procedure that closes a faulty vein from the inside — usually with tiny coils — so blood reroutes through healthy veins instead.
IVUS (intravascular ultrasound)
An ultrasound probe inside the vein itself — the most accurate way to measure whether a compression like May-Thurner is real and how tight it is.
May-Thurner syndrome
Compression of the left iliac vein — the main vein draining the left leg — under the right iliac artery, causing left-leg swelling and clot risk.
MTHFR gene variant
A common gene variant often blamed for clotting — carried by a large share of the population, and by itself not considered a significant clot risk.
Nutcracker syndrome
Compression of the left renal vein between two arteries — causing left flank pain, blood in urine, and pressure that feeds pelvic congestion.
Ovarian vein reflux
Backwards blood flow down the ovarian vein when its valves fail — the leak behind most pelvic congestion, classically on the left side.
Pelvic venous disorder (PeVD)
The umbrella term for pelvic pain caused by faulty pelvic veins — covering pelvic congestion syndrome, May-Thurner and Nutcracker syndromes.
Pitting oedema
Swelling that holds a dent when pressed for a few seconds — the sign that free fluid is in the tissue, seen in venous disease and early lymphoedema.
Stemmer's sign
A pinch test at the base of the second toe: skin too thick to lift into a fold points towards lymphoedema — a simple check with real diagnostic weight.
Venogram (catheter venography)
The definitive pelvic vein test: contrast dye injected directly into the veins through a thin catheter, showing exactly which veins leak and how much.
KINUUM does not provide a medical diagnosis. It is a symptom-awareness guide designed to help women identify patterns worth discussing with their doctor. Always seek professional medical advice.