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Download the article PDF: Clinical Image Challenge December 2025
A 52-year-old man presents to urgent care with a 2-day history of left calf pain, described as dull, non-radiating, and worsened by walking. He recently flew from Los Angeles to New York. His history includes hypertension managed with lisinopril. He denies fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, recent surgery, or prior clots.
He appears well and is hemodynamically stable. Exam reveals mild swelling and tenderness in the left calf and popliteal region without erythema or warmth. A Wells score of 1 places him at moderate risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Due to limited access to imaging, the provider performs a compression point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of the left lower extremity.
View the POCUS image above of the popliteal region during compression and consider the likely diagnosis and next steps. The resolution of the case is described on the following page.
