[Leg volumetry: a precise method for quantification in phlebology]

Chronic venous insufficiency is usually quantified by venous pressure measurement, which is an invasive method. Air plethysmography has also been used, but it is expensive, time consuming and only suitable for sophisticated research laboratories. Leg volumetry might be suitable for routine use, as it is simple, inexpensive, fast, non invasive and can be performed by non medical personnel. Here, we only evaluated its practicability, accuracy and reproducibility.

The study group included 28 legs of 14 healthy volunteers, and 22 legs of 11 patients suffering from varicose veins.

The device used was a plexiglass boot, 50 cm high, 20 cm wide. It was filled with water at 24 +/- 2 degrees C. The leg was immersed and the volume of water displaced recorded.

Normal legs displaced a volume of 2,449 +/- 153 ml (mean +/- SD), range: 2,080-2,720, and variability 6.2%. Patients' legs displaced a volume of 2,576 +/- 290, range: 2,110-3,120, (p = 0.05 vs normals) and variability 11.2%. Accuracy was 0.7%, as from 2 consecutive measurements of the same patients' legs by 2 different observers. Intra-individual variability was 1.3%, as recorded in 12 repeated measurements of the same leg on different mornings. In normal legs, the difference between morning and evening volumes was statistically significant (18 +/- 15 ml, p = 0.0001), a finding consistent with the deterioration of the venous function in normal extremities during daily activities.

This simple, cheap, objective, non-invasive reproducible and accurate method of leg volume measurement might be useful in routine practice for chronic venous insufficiency quantification.