Increased vein wall thickness in Behçet disease

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Rheumatology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Behçet disease (BD) commonly presents with lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT).
• Vein wall thickness (VWT) is proposed as a potential marker for venous inflammation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess VWT in proximal lower extremity veins of BD patients with and without DVT compared to healthy controls.
• To determine if VWT can serve as a surrogate marker for venous inflammation in BD.

Main Methods:

• Ultrasound assessment of VWT in common femoral, femoral, and great saphenous veins of both legs.
• Study included 50 BD patients with LE DVT, 50 BD patients without vascular involvement, and 50 healthy controls.
• Radiologists were blinded to patient diagnosis, and interobserver reliability was assessed.

Main Results:

• Mean VWT was significantly increased in BD patients with and without LE DVT compared to controls.
• BD patients with LE DVT exhibited the highest VWT.
• Good interobserver agreement was achieved for VWT measurements.

Conclusions:

• Proximal deep and superficial lower extremity vein wall thickness is elevated in BD patients, even without overt vascular involvement.
• Increased VWT may signify subclinical venous inflammation in BD.
• Further prospective studies are needed to explore VWT's role in managing vascular BD.