ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Lower Extremity Chronic Venous Disease

Lower extremity venous insufficiency is a chronic medical condition resulting from primary valvular incompetence or, less commonly, prior deep venous thrombosis or extrinsic venous obstruction. Lower extremity chronic venous disease has a high prevalence with a related socioeconomic burden. In the United States, over 11 million males and 22 million females 40 to 80 years of age have varicose veins, with over 2 million adults having advanced chronic venous disease. The high cost to the health care system is related to the recurrent nature of venous ulcerative disease, with total treatment costs estimated >$2.5 billion per year in the United States, with at least 20,556 individuals with newly diagnosed venous ulcers yearly. Various diagnostic and treatment strategies are in place for lower extremity chronic venous disease and are discussed in this document. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.