[Duplex study of primary venous insufficiency of the legs. First results and methodologic comparison]

Primary venous insufficiency is a pathologic condition characterized by reflux in the deep venous system not secondary to phlebothrombosis. The authors compare the diagnostic capabilities of duplex and Doppler US in the evaluation of this condition. At present, Doppler US has a more widespread use than the duplex method. Both lower limbs were examined in 46 patients known to be affected with mono/bilateral primary venous insufficiency thanks to previous retrograde phlebography. Ten patients with different phlebopathies and 10 healthy volunteers were also studied as a control group, duplex US had 92% sensitivity and 90% specificity, while Doppler had 86% and 75%, respectively. Duplex US appeared to be more accurate than Doppler in locating and quantifying the reflux. Finally, the authors draw attention to the segmentary reflux phenomenon they observed in asymptomatic patients and suggest the possibility of recognizing the preclinic stage of this condition by duplex US, which is a non-invasive and relatively inexpensive method. The latter could become, thanks to its intrinsic characteristics, the method of choice for monitoring.