New Ultrasonic Femoropopliteal and Tibiofemoral Tests in the Study of Patency of the Deep Venous System

Abstract

In phlebology, every new noninvasive examining method is of great importance. Now there are new femoropopliteal and tibiofemoral tests, described originally by Odisio in Argentina and, in a modified form applying ultrasound, introduced in Europe by Krcilek and Barták.

An experiment with 25 patients was performed to verify the conclusive evidence of the tests. The diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis was examined here by clinical and femoropopliteal and tibiofemoral tests according to Odisio. Finally the diagnosis was verified by the Doppler ultrasonic method.

The principle of the femoropopliteal test is the palpative perception, when the fingertips of the left hand applied to the inguen somewhat medially from the femoral artery detect the deep venous wave caused by a repeated percussion of the right hand in the fossa poplitea. Getting some experience enables one to practice simple examinations leading to verification of a suspected diagnosis of femoral thrombosis. Replacing the palpating hand by a sonde of an ultrasonic detector gave substantial precision to examinations in the test modification. Similarly the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis of the calf was verified by the percussional tibiofemoral test, when the right hand repeatedly percussed on the calf in the course of crural veins, while the left hand palpated the transmission of the wave to the inguen. Both modifications of the femoropopliteal and tibiofemoral tests were verified by the classical ultrasonic examination method.

The results were compared with those from a control group of 25 patients without clinical and phlebologic symptoms of disease of the lower limbs.