Vein Clinics of America's Study Shows Hope for People Suffering from Leg Ulcers.

MILWAUKEE -- Venous leg ulcers afflict more than 500,000 people in the United States annually.(1) Unfortunately, little is known about how to treat this condition, forcing many people to live with its debilitating effects. Vein Clinics of America (VCA) has just completed a study that shows promising results for the treatment of this condition.

A venous leg ulcer is a complication of vein disease that can occur with or without visible varicose veins. Symptoms of a leg ulcer typically include a red, open, draining, often painful, non-healing wound usually near the inside of the ankle, but it can be anywhere below the knee. Many times if a leg ulcer is left untreated it can lead to the amputation of the foot.

"Compression therapy is a popular technique that many doctors use to treat leg ulcers," said Thomas Eaton, M.D., VCA. "Unfortunately, when used alone, it has variable success as it does not treat the cause of the problem. However, when it is combined with VCA's COMPASS(TM) technique, it has been shown to provide rapid and prolonged results."

VCA conducted a random study of 19 patients with non-healing venous leg ulcers. Ninety-five percent of the patients (18) had previously received treatment elsewhere with unsuccessful results. The patients underwent VCA's COMPASS treatment, which includes a clinical examination, duplex ultrasound venous mapping and sequential ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy is a precise, microinjection procedure that specifically shuts down varicosed or diseased veins. The procedure requires no pain medication and is conducted on an outpatient basis.

Within 16 weeks of initiating COMPASS treatment, 17 patients' ulcers were healed. Another patient who had recently enrolled in the study had not yet healed at eight weeks.

One patient was a 67-year-old woman who suffered from a venous leg ulcer. Not only did her condition leave her unable to walk, but she could not adequately care for her husband whose leg had been amputated because of diabetes. A friend told her about VCA and she made an appointment for a consultation. Within one week of the initial treatment her ulcer closed; the swelling went down and the pain subsided. After six weeks her ulcer was healed.

The leading vascular journal that reported the results of this study stated that the "COMPASS technique is highly efficacious in the management of advanced cases of chronic venous insufficiency. Unlike varicose vein surgery, this less invasive, therapeutic option can provide rapid healing of venous stasis ulcer, prolonged cure and provide improved quality of life."(2)

VCA is the largest medical practice in the United States specializing exclusively in the non-surgical treatment of varicose veins, leg ulcers and related vein disorders. Unique to the treatment of varicose veins, VCA offers state of the art Endovenous Laser Treatment (ELT) in addition to their non-surgical, minimally invasive COMPASS protocol of sequential ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy. As a result, VCA meets the needs of each patient, providing treatment for the largest ropy varicose veins to the smallest spider vein. Procedures are performed in the physician's office and are incorporated into a treatment plan designed to lessen the possibility of progression and recurrence common to varicose vein disease.

Founded in 1981, VCA has 22 locations throughout Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. They can be accessed on the Internet at www.veinclinics.com.

For more information regarding vein disorders, ELT or COMPASS procedures, call VCA at 1-800-660-8346.

(1) The Cleveland Clinic. http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/ health-info/docs/0300/0314.asp?index=4970 (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste it into your Internet browser's URL address field. You may also need to remove an extra space in the URL if one exists.)

(2) T Eaton, B McDonagh, R Guptan, et. al., Management of Venous Stasis Ulcer with the Compass Technique. Phlebology (2004) 19:158.