Age-related rather than ulcer-related impairment of venous function tests in patients with venous ulceration

Various noninvasive tests of venous function and skin oxygenation were studied in 12 patients with unilateral venous ulcer and in 24 control subjects. In the ulcer patients, there was no difference between the leg with and the leg without ulcer regarding all the tests studied. Except for the maximal venous outflow, the patients and their age- and sex-matched controls did not differ with regard to all parameters studied. In contrast to these findings, ageing was associated with a reduction in maximum venous outflow, a shortening in venous filling time, an increase in venous pressure in the posterior tibial vein and a diminution of transcutaneous partial oxygen pressure.