Venous ulcer

Venous ulcer
Other namesVenous insufficiency ulceration, stasis ulcer, stasis dermatitis, varicose ulcer, ulcus cruris, crural ulceration
Venous ulcer on the back of the right leg
SpecialtyDermatology Edit this on Wikidata

Venous ulcer is defined by the American Venous Forum as "a full-thickness defect of skin, most frequently in the ankle region, that fails to heal spontaneously and is sustained by chronic venous disease, based on venous duplex ultrasound testing."[1] Venous ulcers are wounds that are thought to occur due to improper functioning of venous valves, usually of the legs (hence leg ulcers).[2]: 846  They are an important cause of chronic wounds, affecting 1% of the population.[3] Venous ulcers develop mostly along the medial distal leg, and can be painful with negative effects on quality of life.[4]

Exercise, together with compression stockings, increases healing.[5] The NICE guideline recommends that everyone with a venous leg ulcer, even if healed, should be referred to a vascular specialist for venous duplex ultrasound and assessment for endovenous surgery.[6]

  1. ^ O'Donnell TF, Passman MA, Marston WA, Ennis WJ, Dalsing M, Kistner RL, et al. (August 2014). "Management of venous leg ulcers: clinical practice guidelines of the Society for Vascular Surgery ® and the American Venous Forum". Journal of Vascular Surgery. 60 (2 Suppl): 3S–59S. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2014.04.049. PMID 24974070.
  2. ^ James WD, Berger TG, Elston DM (2006). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: clinical Dermatology. Saunders Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-7216-2921-6. OCLC 968428064.
  3. ^ Lal BK (March 2015). "Venous ulcers of the lower extremity: Definition, epidemiology, and economic and social burdens". Seminars in Vascular Surgery. 28 (1): 3–5. doi:10.1053/j.semvascsurg.2015.05.002. PMID 26358303.
  4. ^ Phillips P, Lumley E, Duncan R, Aber A, Woods HB, Jones GL, et al. (March 2018). "A systematic review of qualitative research into people's experiences of living with venous leg ulcers" (PDF). Journal of Advanced Nursing. 74 (3): 550–563. doi:10.1111/jan.13465. PMID 28960514. S2CID 206018724.
  5. ^ Jull A, Slark J, Parsons J (November 2018). "Prescribed Exercise With Compression vs Compression Alone in Treating Patients With Venous Leg Ulcers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis". JAMA Dermatology. 154 (11): 1304–1311. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.3281. PMC 6248128. PMID 30285080.
  6. ^ NICE (July 23, 2013). "Varicose veins in the legs: The diagnosis and management of varicose veins. 1.2 Referral to a vascular service". National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Retrieved June 15, 2019.