A bulging vein around the ankle should always be investigated with a venous duplex ultrasound scan to find out exactly what is going on. However, as a general principle if the vein is horizontal and going across the ankle bone on the outer side of the leg, then it is often associated with varicose veins.On the other hand if it is vertical and in front of the bone on the inside of the leg, then it might be the bottom of the great saphenous vein. However, most people would not term this as "across the ankle".As with all veins in the legs, you should never have any treatment without a venous duplex ultrasound scan performed by a specialist vascular technologist who works within a specialist venous practice. This will show you whether the vein that you are concerned about is merely the only problem, which is uncommon if it is bulging, or if it is part of a varicose vein or "hidden varicose vein" pattern of problems.With best wishes