Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Nov 16:41:13-15.
doi: 10.1016/j.ejvssr.2018.10.008. eCollection 2018.

Underwater Sonography of Leg Veins

Alberto Caggiati  1 , Christopher Lattimer  2 , Evi Kalodiki  2 , Sara Oberto  3 , Giorgio Bergamo  4 , Dimitrios Kontothanassis  5   6 ; Underwater Compression Group
Affiliations

Underwater Sonography of Leg Veins

Alberto Caggiati et al. EJVES Short Rep. .

Abstract

Objectives: Hydrostatic compression (HC) occurring during body immersion is considered beneficial for venous return from the lower limbs. No study has evaluated the effects of HC on the veins of the lower limbs using duplex ultrasound (DU). The purpose of this study was to use DU to evaluate the morphology and flow of the leg veins during immersion.

Design: The femoral and great saphenous veins were evaluated before and during immersion in a specifically built pool, in normal and varicose limbs.

Results: HC reduces vein size in both normal and varicose limbs. During immersion spontaneous flow increases whereas when present, blood reflux decreases.

Discussion: This pilot, proof of concept study has demonstrated the feasibility of DU investigation of leg veins during immersion. Larger series of underwater DU evaluations of normal and varicose legs are necessary to quantify and better explain the effects of HC on the veins of the lower limb.

Keywords: Balneotherapy; Compression; Duplex ultrasound; Underwater duplex; Varicose veins; Venous haemodynamics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes of vein size and flow occurring in normal veins during immersion. Femoral vein out of the pool (A) and during immersion (B). Great saphenous vein out of the pool (C) and during immersion (D). Spontaneous flow in the great saphenous vein in standing position out of the pool (E) and during immersion (F).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes of varicose vein size and flow during immersion. The calibre of a varicose great saphenous vein out of the pool (A) and during immersion (B). The reflux elicited by a Valsalva manoeuvre out of the pool (C) and during immersion (D).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wittens C., Davies A.H., Bækgaard N., Broholm R., Cavezzi A., Chastanet S. Management of chronic venous disease. Clinical practice guidelines of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2015;49:678–737. - PubMed
    1. De Maeseneer M., Pichot O., Cavezzi A., Earnshaw J., van Rij A., Lurie F., Union Internationale de Phlebologie Duplex ultrasound investigation of the veins of the lower limbs after treatment for varicose veins – UIP consensus document. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2011;42:89–102. - PubMed
    1. Caggiati A, Lattimer C, Kalodiki E, Oberto S, Bergamo G, Kontothanassis D. Underwater sonography of leg veins. Venous Symposium, New York 5–7 April, 2018. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Caggiati A., De Maeseneer M., Cavezzi A., Mosti G., Morrison N. Rehabilitation of patients with venous diseases of the lower limbs: State of the art. Phlebology. 2018;1 268355518754463. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources