Clinical Research Directory

Evaluation of Lymphatic Response to Physiotherapy in Patients With Swelling Associated With Superficial Venous Disease

This study seeks to demonstrate the effect of advanced pneumatic compression in treatment naïve patients with CEAP C3 and C4 chronic venous disease. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does lymphatic treatment improve lymphatic function following \~30 days of advanced pneumatic compression device therapy? * Does lymphatic dysfunction correlate with CEAP score and venous reflux times? Over the course of 30-45 days, participants will undergo two sessions of near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging to assess whether advanced pneumatic compression treatment improves lymphatic (dys)function. Subjects will be divided into two groups, a treated and a control group. Both groups will receive standard-of-care compression bandaging. The treated group will also be asked to complete daily sessions of pneumatic compression therapy at home. At both imaging sessions, duplex ultrasound will also be used to assess venous reflux times. Researchers will compare the changes in lymphatic and venous (dys)function between the two groups to see if lymphatic function improves with pneumatic compression treatment and if they dysfunction is correlated with CEAP clinical score and venous reflux times.

Mobile Phone Thermal Imaging Assessment of Incompetent Perforator Veins

Chronic venous disease is a common disease of the lower limbs. Severe CVD can lead to lower limb swelling, pigmentation, and repeated skin ulceration, which seriously affects patients' quality of life. About 10.5% to 92.7% of CVD patients with recurrent varicose veins had insufficient perforating veins. Treatment of these IPVs can promote venous ulcer healing and reduce the recurrence rate of venous ulcers. Accurate assessment and positioning of insufficient perforating veins in the lower leg is a key step in developing a personalized treatment strategy. At present, Color Doppler ultrasonography performed in the upright position in combination with the Valsalva maneuver or local pressure of the limb is regarded as the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of perforating veins insufficiency. However, in China, a large number of perforating veins insufficiency are diagnosed by venography. Because the majority of Chinese vascular surgeons are not versatile in vascular ultrasound examination and venous ultrasound protocols vary from institution to institution. A non-functioning valve in an insufficient perforated vein allows blood to flow retrograde from a deep vein to a superficial vein. Some researchers have shown that the venous blood temperature of deep veins is higher than that of superficial veins. Thus, the retrograde flow of "warm blood" from the deep vein to the superficial vein increases the skin temperature located on the insufficient perforated vein. This study tested the feasibility of a smartphone and its compatible portable thermal imaging device as a tool for assessing insufficient perforated vein. The objective is to study the sensitivity and specificity of smartphone thermal imaging in diagnosing and locating the insufficient perforated vein in CVD patients.

Outcomes of Different Treatment Options in Chronic Venous Disease

This study aims to describe conservative and invasive treatments for patients with chronic venous disease (CVD) in Belgium, and their association with clinical and patient-reported outcomes during a follow-up of 24 months.