title: Compression and venous ulcers.
abstract: Compression therapy is considered to be the most important conservative treatment of venous leg ulcers. Until a few years ago, compression bandages were regarded as first-line therapy of venous leg ulcers. However, to date medical compression stockings are the first choice of treatment. With respect to compression therapy of venous leg ulcers the following statements are widely accepted: 1. Compression improves the healing of ulcers when compared with no compression; 2. Multicomponent compression systems are more effective than single-component compression systems; 3. High compression is more effective than lower compression; 4. Medical compression stockings are more effective than compression with short stretch bandages. Healed venous leg ulcers show a high relapse rate without ongoing treatment. The use of medical stockings significantly reduces the amount of recurrent ulcers. Furthermore, the relapse rate of venous leg ulcers can be significantly reduced by a combination of compression therapy and surgery of varicose veins compared with compression therapy alone.
authors.affiliation: Vein Center of Department of Dermatology, Ruhr-University Bochum, St. Maria-Hilf Krankenhaus, Hiltroper Landwehr 11-13, 44805 Bochum, Germany. m.stuecker@klinikum-bochum.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stücker
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Link
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reich-Schupke
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Altmeyer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doerler
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D058128:Compression Bandages; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D048228:Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Devices; D011312:Pressure; D012008:Recurrence; D053828:Stockings, Compression; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014647:Varicose Ulcer / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014945:Wound Healing