Ambulatory Strain Gauge Plethysmography: Correlation to Symptoms and Skin Changes in Patients with Venous Insufficiency

Abstract

Ambulatory strain gauge plethysmography (ASPG) is one of several different methods applicable in the quantification of venous insufficiency. The present material demonstrates a correlation between this muscle pump quantification and symptoms in patients with venous insufficiency. Patients with few symptoms differed in their muscle pump values from those with many symptoms. A correlation was demonstrated between skin changes and the measured degree of pump dysfunction. In 81 patients and eight normal controls, the diagnostic validity of ambulatory strain gauge plethysmography was calculated. The predictive value of a negative test (PV_neg) for RT (venous return time) was 0.94 and for EV (expelled volume) 0.75. Correspondingly the predictive value of a positive test (PVpos.) was found to be 1.0 for RT and 1.0 for EV.