Noninvasive measurement of venous wall deformation induced by changes in transmural pressure shows altered viscoelasticity in patients with chronic venous disease.

Objective: The noninvasive measurement of venous wall deformation induced by changes in transmural pressure could allow for the assessment of viscoelasticity and differentiating normal from diseased veins.

Methods: In 57 patients with limbs in the C1s (telangiectasia or reticular veins and symptoms), C3 (edema), or C5 (healed venous ulcer) CEAP (clinical, etiologic, anatomic, pathophysiologic) category of chronic venous disease and 54 matched healthy controls, we measured the changes in the cross-sectional area of the small saphenous vein and a deep calf vein in the supine and standing positions and under compression with an ultrasound probe using ultrasonography.

Results: The small saphenous vein, but not the deep calf vein, cross-sectional area was smaller in the limbs of the controls than in the limbs with C3 or C5 disease but was not different from that in C1s limbs. When changing from the supine to the standing position, a greater force was required to collapse the leg veins. Their cross-sectional area increased in most subjects but decreased in 31.5% of them as for the small saphenous veins and 40.5% for the deep calf vein. The small saphenous vein area vs compression force function followed a hysteresis loop, demonstrating viscoelastic features. Its area, which represents the viscosity component, was greater (P < .001) in the pooled C3 and C5 limbs (median, 2.40 N⋅mm; lower quartile [Q1] to upper quartile [Q3], 1.65-3.88 N⋅mm) than in the controls (median, 1.24 N⋅mm; Q1-Q3, 0.64-2.14 N⋅mm) and C1s limbs (median, 1.15 N⋅mm; Q1-Q3, 0.71-2.97 N⋅mm). The area increased (P < .0001) in the standing position in all groups.

Conclusions: Postural changes in the cross-sectional area of the leg veins were highly diverse among patients with chronic venous disease and among healthy subjects and appear unsuitable for pathophysiologic characterization. In contrast, small saphenous vein viscoelasticity increased consistently in the standing position and the viscosity was greater in limbs with C3 and C5 CEAP disease than in controls.