Noninvasive Venous Pressure Measurements in Different Venous Diseases A New Case

We use from some years the doppler method for noninvasive meas-urements of venous pressure and about seven years ago we communicated the early results.1-3 We have confirmed the reliability and sensitivity of the method carrying on our clinical work. Now we report the results of a more extensive observation. Materials and Methods We examined altogether 6,172 lower limbs in 4,102 subjects, whose sex and mean age, for any clinical group, is reported in Table I. Pressure measurements were carried out by means of directional or non-directional c.w. doppler instruments. The probe operating at a frequency of 8-9 MHz is put on posterior tibial vein, on long saphenous vein (before and behind the internal malleolus respectively) and on short saphenous vein (behind the external malleolus) (Figure 1). We briefly recall the method previously reported.4-s The pneumatic cuff of a sphygmomanometer at the ankle of the standing subject is inflated to a pressure hypothetically higher (not more than 120 mmHg in standing position) than the actual one existing in the vein upon which is put the probe (Figure 1). Deflating the cuff we can hear at a certain point a blowing noise. The start of this noise indicates the venous pressure existing in the examined vein (Figur