Secondary lymphoedema and venous oedema of the limb are the consequence of an imbalance between tissue fluid infiltrate and drainage, which leads to interstitial fluid accumulation, tissue changes, limb discomfort and morbidity. Numerous conservative therapies have been developed to address some of these negative outcomes, with a proportion of these being labour and cost intensive. This makes the investigation of cost effective and easy to implement home based regimes very important. One such therapy is limb exercise, which can be beneficial for limb oedemas through changes in both interstitial pressure and calf muscle activation. Therefore, this thesis explored the benefits of different exercise regimes for limb oedema of both lymphatic and vascular origin. This was achieved through a systematic review of existing conservative therapies for limb oedemas and four clinical trials investigating the benefits of home based exercise regimes. Results demonstrated that various positive and significant outcomes could be gained from the implementation of such regimes, including improvements in both subjective and objective parameters. These results reveal how these chronic and disabling conditions can be maintained by the patient in the home environment in between health care visits. It also demonstrates how self maintenance may alleviate the burden on the health care system.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is a disease of the lower limbs that affects millions of people in the United States. It is categorized by constant venous hypertension, which can lead to swelling of the legs, pain, skin changes and ulcers. One of the widely known symptoms that can lead to CVI is varicose veins. The main source of the problem of CVI is incompetent venous valves. The purpose of venous valves is to direct blood through the veins to the heart and prevent retrograde flow to the lower limbs. CVI can be caused by leg injury, pregnancy, genetics, age, and prolonged standing. Current treatments of the disease include compression stocking therapy, ablation, vein stripping, and valve reconstruction. CVI has become such a problem for patients, especially those with secondary incompetence in the deep veins, because the current treatments are used to alleviate the symptoms of the disease but do not treat the source of the problem. One solution that has great potential is to create an implantable venous valve that could restore function of the venous system. In the past many prosthetic venous valves have been made, but none are clinically used because of problems with biocompatiblility, thrombogenicity caused by high shear rates, and longterm functionality that has been hindered by leaflet stiffening. The purpose of this research was to create a venous valve that could overcome these difficulties. This was done by designing the valve out of carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotubes (CI-CNTs). This material has been proven to be thrombo-resistant, biocompatible due to its non-reactive properties, and durable. The valve was designed to be initially open and to close with physiological pressures. The shear rate caused by implantation of the valve was minimized to reduce the likelihood of thrombus formation. FEA and CFD analysis was performed to verify the valve would function under physiological conditions and that shear rates would be in the normal range. The final design was tailored for implantation in the common femoral vein. It had a diameter of 12.7 mm, length of approximately 40 mm, and thickness of 0.3 mm. With a hydrostatic pressure of 20 mmHg it fully closed with a maximum stress of 117 MPa, which is below the ultimate strength of CI-CNTs. The CFD analysis demonstrated the valve would cause a maximum shear rate of 225.1 s

SANTRAUKA Vilniaus universiteto Medicinos fakultetas Reabilitacijos, sporto medicinos ir slaugos institutas Slaugos magistrantūros programa PACIENTŲ SERGANČIŲ LĖTINIU VENŲ NEPAKANKAMUMU OPERACINIO GYDYMO ĮTAKA GYVENIMO KOKYBEI Slaugos magistro baigiamasis darbas Darbo autorė: Renata Grigonienė Darbo vadovas: dr. Narimantas Markevičius Vilnius, 2008 m. Pagrindinės sąvokos: lėtinis venų nepakankamumas, gyvenimo kokybė prieš operaciją, gyvenimo kokybės pagerėjimas po operacijos, CIVIQ klausimynas. Tyrimo tikslas - ištirti pacientų sergančiųjų lėtiniu venų nepakankamumu gyvenimo kokybę prieš operaciją ir po jos. Tyrimo uždaviniai. Palyginti vyrų ir moterų gyvenimo kokybę sergant lėtiniu venų nepakankamumu prieš operaciją ir po jos. Ištirti gyvenimo kokybės skausmo sritį prieš operaciją ir po jos. Ištirti gyvenimo kokybės fizinę sritį prieš operaciją ir po jos. Ištirti gyvenimo kokybės psichologinę sritį prieš operaciją ir po jos. Ištirti gyvenimo kokybės socialinių santykių sritį prieš operaciją ir po jos. Tyrimo objektas. Tirta pacientų sergančių lėtiniu venų nepakankamumu gyvenimo kokybė prieš operaciją ir po jos. Buvo apklausta 51 respondentas prieš operaciją ir po jos, iš jų 41 (80,4 %) moteris ir 10 (19,6 %) vyrų. Tyrimo metodai. Teorinė mokslinės literatūros, leidinių, publikacijų apžvalga. Pacientų sergančių lėtiniu venų nepakankamumu anketinė apklausa gyvenimo kokybei ištirti prieš operaciją ir po jos. Apklausai naudotas tarptautinis CIVIQ klausimynas. Statistinė analizė... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The Influence of Surgical Treatment on Quality of Live of Patients Suffering from Chronic Venous Insufficiency“ Nursing Master’s final paper Author: Renata Grigonienė Supervisor: dr. Narimantas Markevičius Vilnius, 2009 m. Keywords: chronic venous insufficiency, quality of life before surgery, quality of life improvement after surgery, chronic venous insufficiency questionnaire (CIVIQ). The aim of research: to investigate the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency before and after surgery. The objectives of research: to compare the quality of life of male and female patients with chronic venous insufficiency before and after surgery; to investigate the pain domain of quality of life before and after surgery; to investigate the physical domain of quality of life before and after surgery; to investigate the psychological domain of quality of life before and after surgery; to investigate the social relations domain of quality of life before and after surgery. The subject of research: the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency before and after surgery. 51 patients took part in the survey before and after surgery, including 41 female (80.4 %) and 10 males (19.6 %). The methods of research: Theoretical review of scientific literature and publications; questionnaire survey designed to investigate the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency. International CIVIQ questionnaire was used for... [to full text]

Venous disease is a common vascular condition affecting the lower limbs and causes considerable morbidity in affected patients. National Health Service (NHS) treatment costs are substantial and there is a large demand for treatment much of which cannot be met. Roughly half a million people in the United Kingdom contact their general practitioner each year about varicose veins and associated clinical symptoms. In order to assign priorities and target interventions properly, authorities need to know which patients with venous disease will progress. Although many epidemiological studies have investigated the prevalence of venous disease, information on deterioration is scarce. The overall aim of this study is to determine the natural history of venous disease in the population and to identify lifestyle and clinical factors related to deterioration which might aid clinical decision making and health services policy. The specific objectives were to determine which risk factors were associated with deterioration of venous disease and venous reflux, and to ascertain the natural history of asymptomatic venous incompetence in terms of deteriorating to overt trunk varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency. The study design was a population based cohort in the Edinburgh Vein Study which the survivors of the 1566 individuals aged 18 to 64 randomly sampled years from the general population at baseline underwent a 13-year follow-up examination. Details of the 1566 participants in the baseline study were sent to the Practitioner Services Division (PSD) of the NHS in Scotland who provided updated addresses and general practitioner registration details. Information collected on each subject at a follow-up clinic included lifestyle factors and medical history, height and weight measurement (by means of a questionnaire), clinical examination for classification of venous disease according to the Basle and CEAP systems, and duplex scanning to assess incompetence of venous valves in the deep and superficial systems of ten vein segments in each leg. Of the subjects from the baseline, 880 participated in the follow-up study, and 576 did not participate, providing a response rate of 60.4% of which 490 were female (55.7%) and 390 were male (44.3%). The study subjects were generally older and slightly more affluent than residents of the City of Edinburgh. For trunk varicose veins, the baseline prevalence was higher in males compared to females (p<0.01), but there was no difference in prevalence among subjects at the follow-up stage of the study (p=0.56). The overall rate of deterioration in trunk varicose veins was 3.55% per annum. More females than males deteriorated (p=0.04). Among subjects who showed deterioration in their trunk varicose veins, the commonest deterioration was from Basle Grade I (mild) at baseline to Grade II (moderate) at follow-up in both the right and left leg (28.1% and 32.9% respectively). Subjects older than 55 years of age (OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.01-2.51), who had a positive family history of varicose veins or venous ulcer (OR=1.92, 95% CI 1.20-3.07), and sat down at work for more than half the working day (OR=1.69, 95% CI 1.04-2.73) had increased risk of deteriorating trunk varicose veins. There was no significant difference between males and females in the prevalence of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) among subjects at both the baseline and follow-up stage of the study (p=0.15 and 0.16 respectively). The rate of deterioration in CVI was 1.76% per annum. Similarly, among subjects who deteriorated, the commonest deterioration was from Grade I (mild) to Grade II (moderate) CEAP classification in both the right and left leg (42.4% and 45.5% respectively). The risk of worsening of CVI among those older than 55 was nearly three times more than those aged less than 55 (OR=2.85, 95% CI 1.18-6.87), and was still significant when adjusted for gender. The prevalence of telangiectasia was higher in females than in males in both the baseline and follow-up stages of the study (both p<0.01). The rate of deterioration in telangiectasia was 1.6% per annum. The commonest deterioration was from grade I (mild) at baseline to grade II (moderate) follow-up in the left and right leg (using the Basle Classification). Females subjects (OR=1.87, 95% CI 1.35-2.64), those older than 55 (OR=1.68, 95% CI 1.19-2.36), with a positive family history of venous disease (OR=1.60 95% CI 1.14-2.24) were associated with an increased risk of deterioration from telangiectasia compared to male subjects under 55 years of age and with no family history of the disease. The risk of telangiectasia deterioration was more than twice as high in subjects with venous reflux in the greater saphenous vein (origin) (OR=2.34, 95% CI 1.53-3.57), the greater saphenous vein (lower third of the thigh) (OR=2.28, 95% CI 1.59-3.27) and in the small saphenous vein (1.89, 95% CI 1.06-3.36) compared to those with no segments affected. The age and gender adjusted risk was also more than twice as high in subjects with venous reflux in two segments of the superficial system compared to subjects with no venous reflux in any segment (OR=2.06, 95% CI 1.23-3.44), and almost four times as high in subjects with reflux in more than three segments of the superficial system (OR=3.97, 95% CI 2.16-7.31) compared to subjects with no segments affected. On duplex scanning, the prevalence of reflux was higher in females than in males in the superficial system at baseline and follow-up stages of the study (p<0.01 respectively). In the deep system, the prevalence was higher in males than females at the baseline stage (p<0.01) with no significant difference at the follow-up stage (p=0.85). The rate of deterioration in venous reflux was 1.28% per annum. Most subjects deteriorated from one to two vein segments affected in the leg, the majority of which had reflux in the greater saphenous vein (thigh) at baseline and developed reflux in the greater saphenous vein (origin) at follow-up. Subjects more than 55 years of age had significantly more deterioration than those aged less than 55 (p<0.01). Obese or overweight subjects (OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.32-3.67), those aged more than 55 (OR=2.20, 95% CI 1.32-3.67), with a family history of varicose veins (among female subjects only, OR=2.55, 95% CI 1.16-5.56), and who sat down at work more than half the working time (among male subjects only) (OR=2.26, 95%CI 0.97-5.23) had increased risk of showing deterioration in reflux in any leg and in any vein segment from baseline to follow-up. Subjects with venous reflux at baseline were over two and half times more likely to show deterioration in trunk varicose veins compared to those with no reflux (OR=2.69, 95%CI 1.44-5.01), and four times more likely to deteriorate in either trunk varicose veins or chronic venous insufficiency (OR=4.20, 95% CI 2.42-7.29). Subjects with venous reflux at baseline were twice as likely to develop new trunk varicose veins (OR=2.08, 95%CI 1.25-3.46), and 1.78 times more likely to develop either trunk varicose veins or chronic venous insufficiency (OR=1.78, 95%CI 1.12-2.80). Age and gender adjusted risk of trunk varicose veins increased more than fourfold among subjects with venous reflux in the greater saphenous veins (OR=4.04, 95% CI 2.36-6.92), and more than threefold in the greater saphenous vein (lower third of the thigh) (OR=3.13, 95% CI 1.85-5.27) and the small saphenous vein (OR=3.17, 95% CI 1.55-6.48). Subjects with venous reflux in two or more than three vein segments in the superficial system were more than five times more likely to deteriorate from trunk varicose veins (OR=5.39, 95% CI 2.64-10.99 and OR=5.96, 95% CI 2.71-13.10 respectively). The Edinburgh Vein Study follow-up identified factors linked to deterioration of trunk varicose veins and CVI. The findings of this follow-up study have important implications in decision making in NHS and a prognostic tool could be produced to assist clinicians in deciding who should receive treatment or maintained under surveillance. Increasing age, and family history will likely lead to worsening of trunk varicose veins and CVI. The findings also confirm the association between asymptomatic and symptomatic venous valvular incompetence with worsening and developing new cases of venous disease. Such information will be essential for policy makers facing difficult decisions over prioritisation of services in the future. Further research might include trials of surgical and non-surgical interventions designed to limit deterioration in high risk individuals and enable surgeons to target interventions appropriately. Larger prognostic studies of many factors, including genotype, might be conducted to link progression of venous disease, and to provide further information on high risk individuals who might benefit from treatment.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is characterized by chronic venous hypertension from blood pooling in the lower limbs. The resulting symptoms include leg pain, varicose veins, fatigue, venous edema, skin pigmentation, inflammation, induration, and ulceration. Reflux from incompetent venous valves is a factor in up to 94% of individuals with CVI. Current treatments of CVI include compression stockings, drug therapy, vein disabling, venous stenting, and surgical correction with varying rates of success. However, a minimally invasive correction of deep venous reflux does not currently exist. A transcatheter prosthetic venous valve has the potential to be an effective, minimally invasive treatment for deep venous reflux which could treat up to 1.4 million individuals in the United States suffering from venous ulceration and make more than 1.7 billion dollars each year. Previously developed prosthetic venous valves have had problems with competency, patency, thrombogenicity, biocompatibility, and incorrect sizing. To meet the clinical need a prosthetic valve needs to be developed which succeeds where previous valves have failed. This thesis describes the design, analysis, pre-clinical testing, and evaluation of a novel prosthetic venous valve. Design specifications for an effective prosthetic venous valve were created. Verification tests were developed and performed which demonstrated that the valve met every design specification. Finite element and computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed to analyze the valve and calculated a maximum shear rate of 2300 s-1 in the valve during the high forward flow after a Valsalva maneuver. The valve is made of a biocompatible material that has low thrombogenicity, Poly(vinyl-alcohol) cryogel. On the average, the valve allows less than 0.5 mL/min of reflux at low and high retrograde pressures even after 500,000 cycles, indicating that it will reduce the reflux of individuals with venous reflux by more than 99.4%. The valve closes in less than 0.07 seconds and allows the distal pressure to rise to an average of 7% of the equilibrium pressure 30 seconds after a simulated ankle flexion. The valve increases the outflow resistance an average of 2.3 mmHg*min/L which is much less than obstruction levels,≥ 5 mmHg*min/L. The valve can fit in a 16 French catheter and is capable of percutaneous delivery. The base of the valve is 1.5 times the diameter of the vein in which it is to be implanted to help correct orientation upon deployment. Fluid behind the valve’s leaflets is ejected with a forward flow rate of 400 mL/min, suggesting that thrombus formation will not occur at this location. A stented valve remained patent in a porcine blood flow loop for 3 hours. The valve remains competent without buckling in a constricted vein at rest. The valve can expand to fit a vein with a maximum diameter 1.4 times the valve's initial diameter with low risk of tearing or leaflet prolapse. An IACUC protocol for a 12 week study to test the valve in sheep was prepared and approved. A study to evaluate the valve in humans is proposed with endpoints that can be tested for statistical significance and compared with other treatments for CVI. A set of valves which will correct reflux in the majority of common femoral, femoral, and popliteal deep veins is proposed and a sizing guide for surgeons is provided. The minimum distance between prosthetic valves placed in the same vein segment is 13 cm. A comparison of this valve with previously developed prosthetic venous valves and recommendations for work to be performed in the future are given. The valve proposed in this work is the only valve to meet all design specification for an effective prosthetic venous valve, and therefore shows great potential to be a minimally invasive treatment for deep venous reflux.

Title: The effect of manual lymphatic drainage on the musculus soleus muscle tension in patients with chronic venous insufficiency. Aims: The aim of this thesis is to summarize theoretical knowledge about chronic venous insufficiency, muscle tension and manual lymphatic drainage and then to perform a pilot study to determine whether people suffering from chronic venous insufficiency have changed muscle tone of musculus soleus and to verify whether the implementation of a single manual lymphatic drainage of the lower limbs results in a change of muscle tension of musculus soleus. Methods: There were three patients who participated in the experiment. Anthropometric examinations of circuits of both lower limbs on all patients was carried out, using measuring tape and then a muscle tone of musculus soleus was measured using a device called myotonometer. After that the single manual lymphatic drainage of one lower limb (more affected lower extremity) was performed. The second, untreated leg was considered to be the control limb. There was also performed basal treatment of the neck, before every manual lymphatic drainage of lower limb. Circumferential dimensions of both lower limbs were measured immediately after manual lymphatic drainage and then 15 minutes later again. After that the muscle tone of...

Over seven million Americans suffer from Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), a painful and debilitating disease that affects the superficial and deep veins of the legs. Problems associated with CVI include varicose veins, bleeding, ulcerations, severe swelling, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism, which may lead to death. The presence of CVI results from damaged (incompetent) one-way vein valves in leg veins. These valves normally allow forward flow of blood to the heart, and prevent blood from pooling at the feet. However, incompetent valves allow reflux of blood, causing clinical problems. There are few effective clinical therapies for treating CVI. Vein valve transplantation is a surgical option for treatment. However, it is often difficult to find suitable donor valves. Very few prosthetic valves developed in the past have demonstrated sufficient clinical or mechanical functionality. Persistent problems include thrombus formation, leaking valves, and valves that do not open at physiologic pressure gradient. The primary objective of this research was to develop a clinically relevant functional prosthetic vein valve. The novel prosthetic valve is flexible, biocompatible, has low thrombogenecity, and is easy to manufacture. It was designed to address well-defined consumer needs and functional design requirements. The valve was required to 1) withstand 300 mmHg of backpressure with leakage less than 1.0 mL/min, 2) open with a pressure gradient less than 5 mmHg, and 3) meet criteria 1 and 2 after 500,000 cycles of operation. The valve met these design requirements in bench testing. The valve can open with a pressure gradient of 2.6 0.7 mmHg, and can withstand 300 mmHg with leakage less than 0.5 mL/min. The valve remained functional after opening and closing over 500,000 times. The valve presented in this research is operationally functional, and is a potential solution for treating venous incompetence in CVI patients.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is a condition in present in almost 27% of adults in which an insufficient amount of blood is pumped back to the heart due to damaged or poorly apposed one-way valves in the leg veins. During forward flow, vein valves allow blood to return to the heart while posing very little resistance to the flow. During gravity-driven reverse flow, normal valves close and prevent blood from flowing backward through the valve. Incompetent, or damaged, vein valves cannot prevent this reverse flow and lead to a pooling of blood at the feet. CVI is a painful disease presents itself in various ways, including varicose veins, ulcerations of the lower extremities, and severe swelling. Current therapies and treatments include compressive stockings, destruction or removal of affected veins, valve repair, and valve transplants. The implantation of prosthetic vein valves is a future treatment option that does not require an invasive surgery, human donor, or lengthy hospital stay. While no prosthetic vein valves are currently commercially available, this thesis describes the design, verification, and validation of a novel prosthetic vein valve. Verification tests include CFD simulations, functional tests, mechanical tests, and in vitro thromogenicity tests. The validation of the device was done through an animal study in sheep external jugular veins. CFD analysis verified that shear rates within the valve support its lower thrombogenicity as compared to a previous vein valve. Benchtop tests demonstrate superiority in short-term patency over a previous polymer valve. In a sheep study, patency was shown at 6 weeks, surpassing many autograft valves and showing great potential to meet the goal of 3 month patency in sheep.

Submitted by SBI Biblioteca Digital (sbi.bibliotecadigital@puc-campinas.edu.br) on 2017-04-12T13:04:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 GUILHERME CAMARGO GON?ALVES DE ABREU.pdf: 3685278 bytes, checksum: b38c6f9cbee974306c1235fc31b386a3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-12T13:04:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 GUILHERME CAMARGO GON?ALVES DE ABREU.pdf: 3685278 bytes, checksum: b38c6f9cbee974306c1235fc31b386a3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-22 / Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is the leading cause of venous leg ulcers (VLU). Primary varicose veins are the most frequent cause of CVI. The requirements for each treatment method limits its applicability. Foam sclerotherapy has been shown to be effective, safe and great applicability. OBJECTIVE: Analize patient?s evolution after ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (USGFS). METHOD. Clinical trial without control group. Patients with primary CVI venous ulcer (VU) and great saphenous vein (GSV) reflux were treated with USGFS from June 2015 to June 2016. We evaluate diseases severity, quality of life (QoL), ulcer?s healing and elimination of venous reflux. Patients were followed for 180 days and evaluated by Doppler ultrasound (USD), Aberdeen varicose veins questionnaire (AVVQ) and venous clinical severity score (VCSS). Anatomical and clinical data were collected. AVVQ, VCSS and ulcers diameters were tested by ANOVA method. Patients were grouped according to outcome (VU healing, venous occlusion and reflux elimination) and variables were compared by the Mann-Whitney test or the Fisher exact test. RESULTS: 22 patients were treated (15 men and 7 women) aged 35 to 70 years (56 +/-10.5). There was improvement in quality of life, ulcers diameters antics were reduced (p < 0.001; ANOVA). 77% of VLU were completely healed, 14% remained open with reduced dimensions. Venous reflux was eliminated in 64% of the treated great saphenous vein. Worse QoL patients needed more treatment sessions (? = 0.5449; p = 0.0087; Spearman). Men had better QOL after 180 days and had a higher gain on QOL than women (p = 0.0074). Older patients, patients with larger ulcers, away from work and women had more severe disease (p 0.05 <; ANOVA). No variable related to evolution of clinical severity. Women had more complications (p = 0.017; Fisher) and there was no severe complications. Completely healed VLU and completely occluded GSV were at beginning smaller than not completely healed UV and not completely occluded GSV (p < 0.05; Mann-Whitney). CONCLUSION: The absence of severe adverse effects and improvement of evaluated parameters observed in most patients indicates that USGFS is an applicable alternative to patients with severe CVI. / A insufici?ncia venosa cr?nica (IVC) ? a principal causa de ?lceras nos membros inferiores (UV). Varizes prim?rias s?o a causa mais frequente de IVC. Os diversos tratamentos propostos para varizes com IVC apresentam requisitos que limitam sua aplicabilidade. Escleroterapia com espuma tem se mostrado eficaz segura barata e de grande aplicabilidade. OBJETIVO: Analisar a evolu??o dos portadores de IVC com refluxo da veia safena magna e ?lcera venosa submetidos a escleroterapia ecoguiada com espuma de polidocanol (EEE). M?TODO. Ensaio cl?nico sem grupo controle. Portadores de IVC prim?ria com ?lcera varicosa e refluxo na veia safena magna foram tratados com EEE de forma consecutiva. Os pacientes foram observados por 180 dias entre junho de 2015 e junho de 2016. A evolu??o dos pacientes foi estudada em termos de qualidade de vida (QV) avaliado pelo question?rio Aberdeen para veias varicosas (QA); gravidade da doen?a avaliada por escore de gravidade cl?nica (ECV), elimina??o do refluxo venoso pelo ultrassom Doppler (USD) e cicatriza??o de ?lceras. Foram coletados dados cl?nicos, anat?micos e sociais. QA, ECV, di?metro das ?lceras e a influ?ncia das vari?veis foram comparados pelo m?todo de ANOVA. Os pacientes foram agrupados de segundo desfecho (cicatriza??o de UV, oclus?o e elimina??o do refluxo venoso) e as vari?veis foram comparadas pelo teste de Mann-Whitney ou pelo teste exato de Fisher. RESULTADOS: Foram tratados 22 pacientes (7 homens e 15 mulheres) com idade entre 35 a 70 anos (56 +/- 10,5). Houve melhora na qualidade de vida, redu??o da gravidade da doen?a e redu??o dos di?metros das ?lceras (p<0.001; ANOVA). Houve cicatriza??o completa de 77% das UV, 14% permaneceram abertas com redu??o das dimens?es. Houve elimina??o do refluxo em 64% das VSM tratadas. Pacientes com pior QV necessitaram maior n?mero de sess?es para tratamento da doen?a (?=0.5449; p-valor = 0.0087; Spearman). Homens apresentaram melhor QV ap?s 180 dias e tiveram maior ganho na QV que as mulheres (p = 0.0074; Mann-Whitney). Pacientes mais idosos, portadores de ?lceras maiores, afastados do trabalho e mulheres (p<0,05; ANOVA) apresentaram doen?a mais grave. Nenhuma vari?vel se relacionou a evolu??o da gravidade cl?nica. Mulheres apresentaram mais complica??es (p = 0.017; Fisher) e n?o houve complica??es graves. As UV completamente cicatrizadas e as VSM que apresentaram oclus?o completa apresentavam dimens?es inicialmente menores quando comparadas as UV n?o completamente cicatrizadas e as VSM n?o completamente oclu?das (p<0,05; Mann-Whitney). CONCLUS?O: A aus?ncia de complica??es graves e a melhora observada dos par?metros avaliados na maioria dos pacientes indica que EEE ? alternativa aplic?vel aos portadores de IVC grave.

La prise en charge de l’insuffisance veineuse chronique (IVC) et du lymphœdème repose, traditionnellement, sur des méthodes de compression fondées sur des concepts généralement admis mais insuffisamment éprouvés. Le Projet « Phlébosthène », initié en 2010, comporte le développement et l’application d’outils d’étude biomécanique quantitative de l’œdème et des troubles fonctionnels veineux. Les études n°1 et 2 reposaient sur la volumétrie par mesures étagées de circonférence du membre supérieur chez des patientes présentant un lymphœdème. Elles ont montré la valeur prédictive des variations de volume obtenues par la phase intensive du traitement décongestif quant à l’évolution du lymphœdème à moyen terme et au risque de phénomène de rebond. L’étude n°3 a validé la volumétrie de membre par caméra laser 3D chez des sujets sains et des patients souffrant d’insuffisance veineuse chronique du membre inférieur, en comparaison à la volumétrie par déplacement d’eau, méthode de référence, avec l’avantage majeur de quantifier le volume du pied et de la main. L’étude n°4 comportait, au membre inférieur, la mesure des pressions d’interface, intraveineuse, et intramusculaire sans et avec orthèse de compression dégressive de force 2 et 3, et avec orthèse de compression progressive, au repos, lors d’une manœuvre de flexion-extension du pied en position allongée, et lors d’une manœuvre de haussement sur la pointe des pieds en position debout. L’échographie avec mesure de la force d’appui sur la sonde et analyse automatique d’image calculant l’aire veineuse permettait de déterminer la courbe force / aire d’une veine superficielle et d’une veine profonde du mollet en position allongée et debout. Nous avons inclus 57 patients souffrant d’IVC (21 au stade C1s, 18 au stade C3, et 18 au stade C5 selon la classification CEAP), et 54 sujets sains témoins (18 sédentaires, 18 actifs, 18 sportifs) appariés. Les mesures de pression intraveineuse et intramusculaire ont été réalisées chez un tiers des patients et sujets sains. Le traitement des données échographiques (1776 séquences) étant en cours, nous ne pouvons présenter que des résultats préliminaires et partiels. Les pressions d’interface évoluaient conformément aux attentes, atteignant des valeurs plus élevées sous compression de force 2 que sans compression, sous compression de force 3 que de force 2, et sous compression progressive que sous compression de force 2 ou 3. La compression progressive ne se distinguait nettement des compressions dégressives qu’au niveau du mollet et non de la cheville. Les pressions d’interface étaient généralement plus élevées, sous compression, chez les témoins et les patients au stade C5, et, à un moindre degré, au stade C3, que chez les patients au stade C1s. La pression intraveineuse variait en fonction de la posture et du mouvement et était corrélée à la taille du sujet et sa longueur de jambe en orthostatisme ainsi qu’avec le stade clinique d’IVC. La pression intramusculaire évoluait parallèlement à la compression. Les boucles force / aire veineuse montraient une hystérésis caractéristique, décrivant donc la viscoélasticité des veines examinées. L’analyse complète des résultats permettra de comparer les différentes orthèses de compression et leur effet sur la biomécanique veineuse des sujets sains et pathologiques, avec des données quantitatives sur les caractéristiques viscoélastiques des veines. Nous pourrons évaluer l’effet de l’activité physique en comparant les sujets sédentaires, actifs, et sportifs. L’objectif est, à terme, de produire un modèle mathématique permettant, à partir d’un ensemble limité de données obtenues de façon non-vulnérante, de prédire l’effet des différentes modalités de compression sur la biomécanique veineuse de façon à pouvoir déterminer, grâce à la description géométrique tridimensionnelle du membre, les paramètres individuels optimaux de compression. / The conventional treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and lymphedema is based upon mechanical compression, relying on generally admitted but insufficiently proven concepts. The " Phlebosthene " project, initiated in 2010, involves the development and implementation of innovative tools for the quantitative biomechanical evaluation of edema and venous disorders. Studies #1 and #2 were based on the calculation of the upper limb volume by serial circumference measurements in patients with lymphedema. They demonstrated the predictive value of volume variations during the intensive phase of decongestive therapy as for the medium-term outcome and the risk of rebound phenomenon. Study #3 validated segmental limb volumetry by 3D laser scanning in healthy subjects and in patients with lower limb CVI, in comparison with water displacement (reference method), with the major advantage of quantifying the volume of the foot and toes. Study #4 included the measurement, at the lower limb, of interface, intravenous, and intramuscular pressure without and with compression stockings, comparing force 2 and force 3 graduated stockings with so-called progressive compression. Measurements were performed at rest, during flexion-extension movements of the foot while the subject was lying supine, and during a tip-toe test in the standing position. Synchronously recorded B-mode sonography with automatic image analysis allowed calculating the venous area and provided force / area curves of superficial and deep calf veins in the supine and in the standing position. We included 57 patients with CVI (21 at the C1s, 18 at the C3 and 18 at the C5 stage of CVI according to the CEAP classification), and 54 matched healthy controls (18 sedentary, 18 active, 18 sportive). Intravenous and intramuscular pressure measurements were performed in one third of patients. As the processing of the 1776 B-mode sonographic sequences is still underway, we can only offer here partial and preliminary results. Interface pressures evolved as expected, reaching higher values under graduated force 2 compression stockings than without compression, under graduated force 3 than force 2 compression, and under progressive than under graduated compression. Progressive compression clearly distinguished itself from graduated compression only at the calf but not at the ankle level. Interface pressures were generally higher, under compression, in controls and in patients with IVC at the C5 stage, and, to a lesser degree, at the C3 stage, than in patients at the C1s stage. Intravenous pressure varied with posture and movement and correlated with the subject’s size and leg length in orthostatic position, and with the CVI stage. The force / area curves of superficial and deep calf veins exhibited a characteristic hysteresis, yielding viscoelasticity information. When the database will be complete and consolidated, we will be able to compare different compression stockings and their effect on the venous biomechanics of healthy and pathological subjects, providing quantitative data on the viscoelastic characteristics of superficial and deep veins. We will also be able to assess the effect of physical activity on venous biomechanics by comparing sedentary, active, and sportive subjects. The confrontation of interface, intravenous, and intramuscular pressures with these biomechanical data will provide a mathematical model using a limited set of data obtained by simple and non-invasive measurements to predict the effect of compression stockings on the biomechanics of superficial and deep veins, in order to determine, with the help of 3D laser scanning, the optimal individual compression settings.