Quantitative measurement of pitting edema with a novel edema ruler

Lower extremity edema is a symptom of chronic venous disease (CVD) and venous insufficiency. However, clinical evaluation relies on the qualitative evaluation of pitting depth which is neither well-defined nor quantitative. We created a novel 3D-printed Edema Ruler TM as a quantitative method to measure pitting depth. Twenty-five CVD patients (50 legs) were evaluated for ankle edema with the edema ruler. The results demonstrate excellent intraclass correlation for both single (.944, p < 0.001) and average measurements (.971, p < 0.001). The Edema Ruler TM is a non-invasive, useful and objective method for the clinical measurement of lower extremity edema.