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Stanek A, Mosti G, Nematillaevich TS, Valesky EM, Planinšek Ručigaj T, Boucelma M, Marakomichelakis G, Liew A, Fazeli B, Catalano M, Patel M. No More Venous Ulcers-What More Can We Do? J Clin Med 2023; 12:6153. [PMID: 37834797 PMCID: PMC10573394 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12196153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are the most severe complication caused by the progression of chronic venous insufficiency. They account for approximately 70-90% of all chronic leg ulcers (CLUs). A total of 1% of the Western population will suffer at some time in their lives from a VLU. Furthermore, most CLUs are VLUs, defined as chronic leg wounds that show no tendency to heal after three months of appropriate treatment or are still not fully healed at 12 months. The essential feature of VLUs is their recurrence. VLUs also significantly impact quality of life and could cause social isolation and depression. They also have a significant avoidable economic burden. It is estimated that the treatment of venous ulceration accounts for around 3% of the total expenditure on healthcare. A VLU-free world is a highly desirable aim but could be challenging to achieve with the current knowledge of the pathophysiology and diagnostic and therapeutical protocols. To decrease the incidence of VLUs, the long-term goal must be to identify high-risk patients at an early stage of chronic venous disease and initiate appropriate preventive measures. This review discusses the epidemiology, socioeconomic burden, pathophysiology, diagnosis, modes of conservative and invasive treatment, and prevention of VLUs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Stanek
- Department of Internal Medicine, Angiology and Physical Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Batorego 15 Street, 41-902 Bytom, Poland
- Vascular Independent Research and Education, European Foundation, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (A.L.); (B.F.); (M.C.); (M.P.)
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
| | - Giovanni Mosti
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- Angiology Department, MD Barbantini Clinic, Via del Calcio 2, 55100 Lucca, Italy
| | - Temirov Surat Nematillaevich
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- Department of Specialized Surgery, Central Hospital of Ministry of Internal Affairs, Chimboy St. 2 A, Almazar District, Tashkent 100095, Uzbekistan
| | - Eva Maria Valesky
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Tanja Planinšek Ručigaj
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- Dermatovenereological Clinic, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Gradiskova 10 Street, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Malika Boucelma
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Algiers, Bachir Mentouri Hospital, Algiers 16208, Algeria
| | - George Marakomichelakis
- Vascular Independent Research and Education, European Foundation, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (A.L.); (B.F.); (M.C.); (M.P.)
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- 4th Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Evangelismos, 16676 Athens, Greece
| | - Aaron Liew
- Vascular Independent Research and Education, European Foundation, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (A.L.); (B.F.); (M.C.); (M.P.)
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- Department of Medicine, Portiuncula University Hospital, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
| | - Bahar Fazeli
- Vascular Independent Research and Education, European Foundation, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (A.L.); (B.F.); (M.C.); (M.P.)
- Support Association of Patients of Buerger’s Disease, Buerger’s Disease NGO, Mashhad 9183785195, Iran
| | - Mariella Catalano
- Vascular Independent Research and Education, European Foundation, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (A.L.); (B.F.); (M.C.); (M.P.)
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- Department of Biomedical, Clinical Sciences L Sacco Hospital, Inter-University Research Center on Vascular Disease, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy
| | - Malay Patel
- Vascular Independent Research and Education, European Foundation, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (A.L.); (B.F.); (M.C.); (M.P.)
- VAS-International Consortium—International No More Venous Ulcers Strategic Network, 20157 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (T.S.N.); (E.M.V.); (T.P.R.); (M.B.)
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Apollo CVHF, Heart Institute, Ahmedabad 380059, India
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Wang SH, Shyu VBH, Chiu WK, Huang RW, Lai BR, Tsai CH. An Overview of Clinical Examinations in the Evaluation and Assessment of Arterial and Venous Insufficiency Wounds. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2494. [PMID: 37568858 PMCID: PMC10417660 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13152494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Arterial and venous insufficiency are two major causes of chronic wounds with different etiology, pathophysiology, and clinical manifestations. With recent advancements in clinical examination, clinicians are able to obtain an accurate diagnosis of the underlying disease, which plays an important role in the treatment planning and management of patients. Arterial ulcers are mainly caused by peripheral artery diseases (PADs), which are traditionally examined by physical examination and non-invasive arterial Doppler studies. However, advanced imaging modalities, such as computed tomography angiography (CTA) and indocyanine green (ICG) angiography, have become important studies as part of a comprehensive diagnostic process. On the other hand, chronic wounds caused by venous insufficiency are mainly evaluated by duplex ultrasonography and venography. Several scoring systems, including Clinical-Etiology-Anatomy-Pathophysiology (CEAP) classification, the Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS), the Venous Disability Score, and the Venous Segmental Disease Score (VSDS) are useful in defining disease progression. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overlook of the most widely used and available clinical examinations for arterial and venous insufficiency wounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szu-Han Wang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung 204, Taiwan; (S.-H.W.); (V.B.-H.S.); (B.-R.L.)
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Victor Bong-Hang Shyu
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung 204, Taiwan; (S.-H.W.); (V.B.-H.S.); (B.-R.L.)
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
| | - Wen-Kuan Chiu
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan;
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Ren-Wen Huang
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
- Division of Trauma Plastic Surgery, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Bo-Ru Lai
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung 204, Taiwan; (S.-H.W.); (V.B.-H.S.); (B.-R.L.)
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
| | - Chia-Hsuan Tsai
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung 204, Taiwan; (S.-H.W.); (V.B.-H.S.); (B.-R.L.)
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
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Papanas N, Mani R, Rerkasem K. Ultrasound: The Magic Wand for Wound Healers. INT J LOW EXTR WOUND 2020; 19:291-292. [DOI: 10.1177/1534734620977227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Papanas
- Diabetes Centre-Diabetic Foot Clinic, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Raj Mani
- Founding Editor, International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds
| | - Kittipan Rerkasem
- NCD Centre of Excellence, Research Institute of Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
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