Venous Ulcers

Venous Disease refers to a disorder of the veins of the body most commonly affecting the lower extremities. Common venous problems include varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, deep venous thrombosis (DVT or blood clot), and venous stasis ulcers. Venous ulcers are the most common type of ulcer affecting the lower extremities. Typical venous ulcers appear near the ankle and are usually moderately painful. Indications that a wound is a venous ulcer include irregular shape, superficial ulceration, and the presence of drainage.

Treatment of venous ulcers can be lengthy. The goals of treatment are prevention of infection, control of drainage, maintaining a moist environment, providing compression to control swelling, promoting patient activity, and controlling pain.

Patient education is very important since the underlying venous problem is often life long. In some selected cases surgical or interventional treatment may cure the underlying venous disorder. Identifying which patients are amenable to curative treatment is a major goal in the assessment of patients with venous ulcers.