A prospective cohort study bespeaking the sequel of popliteal vein distension on the clinical severity of primary chronic venous insufficiency as shown by venous Doppler ultrasound

Background
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a condition caused by retrograde flow of venous blood that is attributed to several factors, the most important of them is damaged venous valves. Recent studies have suggested that the popliteal-vein (PV) diameter has a vital role in the vastness of lower-limb CVI. Doppler ultrasound (DUS) is considered the mainstay noninvasive imaging modality for the diagnosis of peripheral vascular disorders.
Objective
The target of our study was to point out the relation between the clinical severity of primary CVI and PV condition evaluated by DUS.
Patients and methods
In total, 50 limbs of 25 consecutive patients (14 women and 11 men; age range, 25–85 years) with clinical diagnosis of CVI were graded according to the Clinical Etiological Anatomical Pathological classification and then examined by DUS for estimation of PV diameter and venous reflux. In each limb, the clinical grade of CVI was then compared with the DUS findings. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS, version 20 and statistical significance was set at value less than 0.05.
Results
The mean PV diameter was 1.3 cm. No reflux was observed in limbs with PV diameter less than 6 mm. Reflux was detected at the femoropopliteal junction in 22% of the examined limbs with the highest frequency at PV diameter more than 9 mm. There was a direct association between the PV diameter and the clinical severity of CVI. An increased PV diameter was affiliated with higher frequency and velocity of reflux at the femoropopliteal junction, which were consequently associated with higher Clinical Etiological Anatomical Pathological grades.
Conclusion
There was a significant correlation between the clinical grades of CVI-enhanced and DUS-evaluated PV condition. The degree of the increase in the PV diameter can reflect the severity of CVI.