[Oxygenation of the dermis and subcutis in dermatoliposclerosis]

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) leads to morphological and functional changes in nutritive capillaries resulting in disturbances of the nutrition of the skin. Up to now, data obtained from transcutaneous measured pO2 were taken as an indication for a decreased oxygen supply to the skin. With the aim of obtaining direct information on the tissue oxygenation of dermis and subcutis we have measured the distribution of tissue pO2 values with needle probes (300 microns tip diameter, Eppendorf-Netheler-Hinz-GmbH, Hamburg). 12 patients with CVI III and 8 healthy volunteers were included in this study. The needle probes were inserted into the skin of the proximal third of the lower leg and, in patients, in the areas with mild and with severe sclerosis (ulcer edge). The pO2 data from the needle probes were compared with pO2 data obtained from transcutaneous surface probes (tcpO2) and with data from laser doppler flux measurements LDF). In clinically healthy skin the intracutaneously measured pO2 (icpO2) was 51 +/- 7 mmHg (mean +/- S.D.) and the subcutaneously measured pO2 (scpO2) was 47 +/- 8 mmHg. In lipodermatosclerosis invasively determined pO2-values were lower than in healthy skin, however, no hypoxic or anoxic values were found. Compared with tcpO2-values there was no considerable difference between icpO2-values measured in mild sclerosis and severe sclerosis (icpO2 28 mmHg as compared to 25 mmHg; scpO2 31 mmHg as compared to 27 mmHg). The icpO2 values obtained from the edge of the ulcer showed a large variation from patient to patient (6 mmHg to 42 mmHg). There was no correlation between the pO2 data and the LDF-values.