Your First Visit

Many of our patients hear about us from friends, family, and neighbors. Others are introduced thorough health fairs or vein screenings. And for some, the initial office consultation will be their introduction to the VSS team.

If you suffer from symptomatic varicose veins, spider veins, leg swelling or venous ulcers, we suggest a vein consultation at Vein Specialists of the South, LLC in one of our Macon, Warner Robins or Locust Grove, Georgia locations. 

A vein consultation includes a medical history and physical examination focusing on your presenting complaints, and a duplex ultrasound examination of the leg veins when indicated to determine the underlying source of your problems. The goal is to understand the reason you came to see us, identify the root cause of your problem and develop a plan of care to treat the underlying source of your vein problems and correct the visibly damaged vein.

Dr. Harper is convinced that a vein consultation should include a general history and physical examination along with the vein specific exam. Several times a year we diagnose a serious medical condition during our general history and physical exam and then make an appropriate referral to their primary care provider or a specialist.

For most, the consultation includes a detailed venous ultrasound examination by one of our Registered Vascular Technologists who work in our IAC certified vascular lab for venous testing. Our RVT’s and RPhS credentialed sonographers have years of venous ultrasound experience, and Dr. Harper is available for consultation with them when necessary. The exam is reviewed and interpreted by Dr. Harper, a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI) and Registered Phlebology Sonographer, is a Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Vein and Lymphatic Medicine. The ultrasound findings allow our team to create a ‘map’ of the deep and superficial veins identifying the normal and abnormal veins to create a treatment plan.

The hallmark of a dedicated phlebology practice is consultation and diagnostic testing. Patients who see us for a second opinion are impressed with our attention to detail. The vein mapping or ultrasound stress test for the vein function is to perform the ultrasound in the standing position. We have specially-designed platforms for venous testing in each consultation room. Other diagnostic aids used include a handheld Doppler trans-illumination light and the Accuvein light allowing us to further evaluate the superficial veins.