Vayssairat M, Maurel A, Gouny P, Baudot N, Gaitz J P, Nussaume O
Laboratoire de Microcirculation, Hôpital Rothschild.
J Mal Vasc. 1994;19(2):108-10.
Chronic venous insufficiency is usually quantified by venous pressure measurement, which is an invasive method. Air plethysmography has also been used, but it is expensive, time consuming and only suitable for sophisticated research laboratories. Leg volumetry might be suitable for routine use, as it is simple, inexpensive, fast, non invasive and can be performed by non medical personnel. Here, we only evaluated its practicability, accuracy and reproducibility.
The study group included 28 legs of 14 healthy volunteers, and 22 legs of 11 patients suffering from varicose veins.
The device used was a plexiglass boot, 50 cm high, 20 cm wide. It was filled with water at 24 +/- 2 degrees C. The leg was immersed and the volume of water displaced recorded.
Normal legs displaced a volume of 2,449 +/- 153 ml (mean +/- SD), range: 2,080-2,720, and variability 6.2%. Patients' legs displaced a volume of 2,576 +/- 290, range: 2,110-3,120, (p = 0.05 vs normals) and variability 11.2%. Accuracy was 0.7%, as from 2 consecutive measurements of the same patients' legs by 2 different observers. Intra-individual variability was 1.3%, as recorded in 12 repeated measurements of the same leg on different mornings. In normal legs, the difference between morning and evening volumes was statistically significant (18 +/- 15 ml, p = 0.0001), a finding consistent with the deterioration of the venous function in normal extremities during daily activities.
This simple, cheap, objective, non-invasive reproducible and accurate method of leg volume measurement might be useful in routine practice for chronic venous insufficiency quantification.
慢性静脉功能不全通常通过静脉压力测量来量化，这是一种侵入性方法。空气体积描记法也被使用过，但它昂贵、耗时，且仅适用于先进的研究实验室。腿部容积测量可能适用于常规使用，因为它简单、廉价、快速、无创，且非医务人员也可操作。在此，我们仅评估了其实用性、准确性和可重复性。
研究组包括14名健康志愿者的28条腿，以及11名患有静脉曲张患者的22条腿。
使用的设备是一个有机玻璃靴，高50厘米，宽20厘米。靴内装有24±2摄氏度的水。将腿浸入水中，记录排出的水量。
正常腿部排出的水量为2449±153毫升（均值±标准差），范围为2080 - 2720毫升，变异度为6.2%。患者腿部排出的水量为2576±290毫升，范围为2110 - 3120毫升（与正常组相比，p = 0.05），变异度为11.2%。由两名不同观察者对同一患者的腿部进行连续两次测量，准确性为0.7%。在不同早晨对同一条腿进行12次重复测量，个体内变异度为1.3%。在正常腿部，早晚水量差异具有统计学意义（18±15毫升，p = 0.0001），这一发现与正常肢体在日常活动中静脉功能恶化一致。
这种简单、廉价、客观、无创、可重复且准确的腿部容积测量方法可能在慢性静脉功能不全量化的常规实践中有用。
