A venous ultrasound (also called a venous duplex) is a non-invasive imaging test that uses high-frequency sound waves to view blood vessels. An ultrasound technologist will apply a gel to the area being studied and slide a probe across your skin to view the image produced on a computer screen. This test allows us to effectively exclude the presence of blood clots in the veins. Further evaluation can look at the flow in the superficial veins, and determine if blood flow returns toward the heart (normal) or moves backwards towards the feet (venous insufficiency).