Venous reflux: quantification and correlation with the clinical severity of chronic venous disease
Air-plethysmography has been used to measure, in ml and in ml100 ml-' of tissue, the blood volume that filled the leg veins on changing posture *om the recumbent position to standing. The venous filling index ( V F I ) (average filling range) was measured in ml s-' and inml100 ml-' min-I. We studied 24 normal legs ( N ) , 21 with primary varicose veins without chronic swelling, skin changes (liposclerosis, eczema, pigmentation) or ulceration (PVV) and 59 with chronic swelling and/or skin changes andlor ulceration: of these 59 legs, 31 had primary varicose veins (PVV/S) and 28 had popliteal reflux ( P R ) . The classification was done according to clinical examination, Duplex scanning, ambulatory venous pressure measurements and venography. There was an increased incidence of sequelae with increasing values of V F I . The incidence of these sequelae was irrespective of whether reflux was in the deep or in the superficial veins. VFI is a practical non-invasive measurement of reflux. I t should be used to study the effect of therapy and particularly to evaluate new reconstructive procedures designed to abolish reflux in the deep veins.