Venous function after fracture of the lower extremity: A 9-year follow-up of 150 cases

Abstract

One hundred and fifty patients were examined 8-10 years after a fracture of the lower limb to evaluate whether the frequency of deep venous insufficiency (DVI) was influenced by the type of fracture. The evaluation included clinical examination, subjective complaints, venous pressure, plethysmography and doppler sonography. Symptoms and signs of DVI were more common in the fractured than in the uninjured limbs, while objectively diagnosed DVI did not differ between the groups. Only minor differences were present in the development of DVI between limbs with various types of fracture (hip fractures were not included in the study). High age and incompetence of the popliteal valves were more important in the development of DVI than the earlier fracture. The frequency of objectively measured DVI in the fractured limbs was 35 per cent and in the uninjured limbs 30 per cent.

Risk factors for chronic venous disease: The San Diego Population Study

“…Similarly, a case-control study found serious lower limb trauma to be a risk factor for CVI (8). However, an earlier study found no difference in CVI for injured versus uninjured limbs (17).…”

“…In the San Diego Population Study (SDPS), we systematically examined the relationship of a wide variety of potential risk factors to both visible and functional venous disease. The risk factors considered included family history (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9), connective tissue laxity (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15), previous lower limb trauma (16,17), cardiovascular disease (CVD) related factors (18,19), positional factors (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28), physical measures (29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36), smoking (6), constrictive clothing (37)(38)(39)(40)(41), a period of immobility (42), physical activity (6,19), constipation (43)(44)(45), fiber intake…”