Lower limb oedema in mild to moderate superficial venous disorders is not only an ankle oedema: results of an exploratory study

The monitoring and treatment of leg oedema rely on the assumption that it is primarily localized in the ankle area. However, previous studies suggest that it may equally affect the entire leg. Such a finding may impact the disease management. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of leg oedema in superficial venous disease. Twenty-nine female patients suffering from mild to moderate superficial venous disease with oedema were enrolled. Forty-three legs were tested (15 unilateral oedema). The variation of leg volumes between the morning (t0) and 6 hours later (t6), was measured using the water displacement method. To differentiate ankle oedema from lower leg oedema, two different water heights were used: 50 cm (lower leg) and 32 cm (ankle only). At t0, the volume of lower legs and ankles were 327.2±28.3 cL and 154.5±11.2 cL, respectively. Between t0 and t6, it significantly increased by 4.9±3,1 cL and 2.3±1.3 cL respectively (p<0.0001). Consequently, the volume above the ankle had also increased by 2.6±2.3 cL (p<0.0001). The present study demonstrates that in patients with moderate Chronic Venous Diseases (CVDs), leg oedema is not limited to the ankle.