Chronic venous insufficiency is thought to cause tissue hypoxia and ulceration through pericapillary deposition of fibrin. Transcutaneous tissue oxygen tension measurements (TCpO 2) were made on 17 patients with severe venous insuffi ciency and repeated after three and six months of treatment with O-(B- hydroxyethyl)-rutosides, a drug recommended for treatment of venous insufficiency that is thought to enhance tissue fibrinolysis. After six month's treatment, TCpO 2
measurements were significantly better than inital values (0.01 < p < 0.05). This improvement in TCpO2
measurements is consistent with the hypothesis that O-(B-hydroxyethyl)-rutosides act by enhancing tissue fibrinolysis and might reduce the pericapillary fibrin that is thought to be a major factor in the pathogenesis of venous ulceration.
