Chronic Venous Ulcers

Affecting up to five percent of the population, Chronic Venous Ulcers (CVU) are a type of shallow wound that usually form on the lower leg. Slow to heal and often recurring, CVU are the result of abnormal blood flow or hypertension in leg veins. It has been estimated that CVU have caused the loss of two million working days per year in the United States.

CVU usually occur on the inside of the ankle and frequently include skin changes such as pigmentation, eczema, atrophie blanche, and lipodermatosclerosis, which is a swelling and hardening of the skin.

Compression therapy is considered the most important conservative treatment of CVU. Treatment of the underlying venous disease includes endovenous laser ablation and ultrasound guided sclerotherapy