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Diseases of the Veins and Arteries: Leg Ulcers

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Atlas of Dermatology, Dermatopathology and Venereology

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Abstract

Diseases of the arterial and venous vessels and, as well, all stages of the CEAP classification are detected by duplex ultrasound, photopletismography, and ankle index measurement. Chronic wounds are divided into venous (the most common type), arterial, and mixed ulcers. In addition to vascular ulcers, chronic wounds may include malignant wounds, wounds secondary to autoimmune diseases, wounds as a result of metabolic disorders, or wounds due to external and many other causes which are rarer ones.

The basic therapy of venous insufficiency is compression therapy, where we choose between long- and short-stretch bandages or systems. The initial stages of venous diseases are treated with sclerotherapy or surgery. For chronic wounds, appropriate dressings are used for controlling secretion and formation of necrosis, fibrin, granulation tissue, and epithelization in the floor of the wound. Through various procedures of necrectomy, the wounds are cleared faster. Procedures for healing stimulation, such as light therapy, photobiomodulation, and electrical stimulation, are used for promoting the process of wound healing. At the same time, treating area around the wound, systemic therapy, and removing etiological factors shall be considered.

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  1. Dermatovenerological Clinic, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Tanja Planinšek Ručigaj

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  1. Tanja Planinšek Ručigaj
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Correspondence to Tanja Planinšek Ručigaj .

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  1. Department of Pathology, Univ of Rochester School of Med, Rochester, NY, USA

    Bruce Smoller

  2. Khorramshahr, Iran

    Nooshin Bagherani

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Planinšek Ručigaj, T. (2020). Diseases of the Veins and Arteries: Leg Ulcers. In: Smoller, B., Bagherani, N. (eds) Atlas of Dermatology, Dermatopathology and Venereology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45134-3_66-1

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