[Methods for vascular exploration in man: microcirculation and veins]

The pharmacodynamic evaluation of venotropic compounds deals mainly with vascular reactivity and fluid exchanges. At the microvascular level, three kinds of approaches can be used: (1) clinimetric measurements of cutaneous temperature (thermometry), skin colour (chromametry) and leg volume; (2) indirect physical parameters evaluating the haemodynamic or nutritional efficacy of the microcirculation (TcPO2 and laser doppler); (3) capillaroscopy with digital image analysis, which allows a quantification of the microvascular bed, of some kinds of transcapillary exchanges and of lymphatic microcirculation. At the venous level, they are also several usable techniques: (1) US duplex, which allows measurements of venous diameter variations; (2) plethysmography, which evaluates the compliance of the venous system from pressure/volume curves.