# Advice on objective testing to confirm/exclude Vascular Eagles

**URL:** https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/advice-on-objective-testing-to-confirm-exclude-vascular-eagles/24451
**Category:** General
**Tags:** treatment, symptoms, internal-jugular-vei
**Created:** [September 24, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/advice-on-objective-testing-to-confirm-exclude-vascular-eagles/24451 "2026-09-24T03:10:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 4

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### Author: ![Jules](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.livingwitheagle.org/jules/32/404_2.png) [@Jules](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/u/Jules)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/advice-on-objective-testing-to-confirm-exclude-vascular-eagles/24451/4 "2026-09-24T16:54:48Z")

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It’s beyond frustrating, I’ve never heard of a doctor doing that before… it’s venous compression which needs investigating, not your pulse rate, & you already have that confirmed from your CT ! Whether your veins get compressed in with head turning is dependent on the angle the styloids grow anyway; it’s more common for the compression to be worse when looking down with IJV compression anyway.

Ultrasounds of the veins can be done, as the others have said, with your head in different positions, but it’s not always that accurate…Here’s a link to Dr Hepworth’s protocol if you do want to get this done:

[Dr. Hepworth’s protocol for CTV - General - Living with Eagle](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/dr-hepworth-s-protocol-for-ctv/16427/4)

Some doctors request a CT venogram with pressure testing manometry, this is a more invasive procedure and does have some risks , it is a more accurate test so you could look into that. Some doctors also do a lumbar puncture to see if the intracranial pressure is raised as it does with IJV compression, & use this as another diagnostic tool, that again does carry a risk so I refused this when I was getting assessed for IJV compression- I saw one of the most experienced doctors in the UK for this, & he was happy to offer surgery just looking at the CT with contrast, and okay without doing any more testing.

The testing that your Neuro has suggested could potentially help- if you do have high intracranial pressure this can show up on an MRI, the CT could possibly show how big the gap is between the styloids and the C1 with extension and flexion, which would indicate how much compression there could be- so they wouldn’t be a total waste of time if you want to do these?

You could possibly print out a research paper or two about IJV compression , symptoms & how this is diagnosed if you’re going to see him again, or send your imaging and report that you have already confirming IJV compression to Dr Rao. I guess you probably wouldn’t want this doctor doing surgery anyway, so if you think you’d have to go to Oz for the surgery maybe just send your scans over?

We have these doctors on the list in NZ, I don’t know how knowledgeable they are about VES though, but whether they would be any help?

Mr. Kevin Smith, Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Specialist, Auckland - [https://headandneckservice.co.nz](https://headandneckservice.co.nz/)  
•Dr. Charles Davis, Plastic & Craniofacial Surgery - [https://charlesdavis.co.nz](https://charlesdavis.co.nz/)  
•Mr. Muammar Abu-Serriah (in the same office as Mr. Kevin Smith)

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