title: Venous Ulcers.
abstract: Venous leg ulcers are the most frequent form of wounds seen in patients. This article presents an overview on some practical aspects concerning diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment. Duplex ultrasound investigations are essential to ascertain the diagnosis of the underlying venous pathology and to treat venous refluxes. Differential diagnosis includes mainly other vascular lesions (arterial, microcirculatory causes), hematologic and metabolic diseases, trauma, infection, malignancies. Patients with superficial venous incompetence may benefit from endovenous or surgical reflux abolition diagnosed by Duplex ultrasound. The most important basic component of the management is compression therapy, for which we prefer materials with low elasticity applied with high initial pressure (short-stretch bandages and Velcro-strap devices). Local treatment should be simple, absorbing and not sticky dressings keeping adequate moisture balance after debridement of necrotic tissue and biofilms are preferred. After the ulcer is healed compression therapy should be continued in order to prevent recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, USA ; Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Caprini
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Partsch
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton 45435, OH, USA ; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton 45435, OH, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simman
keywords: Compression therapy; Venous insufficiency; Venous ulcer; Wound care