Venous compliance and clinical implications

Submitted: 21 February 2018
Accepted: 16 April 2018
Published: 14 May 2018
Abstract Views: 4202
PDF: 869
HTML: 1096
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Compliance is a characteristic of every deformable system. Compliance is very clear concept in physics and mechanics but in clinics, perhaps, is not the same. However, in veins compliance fits perfectly with the function of drainage of the venous system. Volumetric increase (dV) of the content is correlated with pressure increase (dP) inside the vein according to the equation C’= dV/dP. In humans 75% of the blood is located in the venous system, primarily because the molecular components of a vein media layer is significantly more compliant to that of arteries. This property is fundamental to understanding the change in blood volume in response to a change in posture. Measurements of venous compliance in clinical practice can be done by the means of ultrasound, as well as with the plethysmography. Ultrasound methods assimilate the cross sectional area to the volume of the vein, because it reflects the blood content. Changes in cross sectional area can be reliably measured in response to a change in posture, while pressure can be derived from the hydrostatic pressure changes. Venous compliance is of paramount importance also in pulsatile veins such as the inferior or superior vena cava and the jugular veins, where high resolution ultrasound may accurately derive the cross sectional area. Clinical implications of the mechanical properties of the venous wall are extensively discussed, including the need of dedicated venous stenting, which takes into account venous compliance as the main parameter of the venous function. In addition, venous compliance is the interpretative key for a better understanding of plethysmography curves, as well as of varicose veins and of their return to normal cross sectional area following ambulatory venous pressure reduction.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

How to Cite

Zamboni, P., Tavoni, V., Sisini, F., Pedriali, M., Rimondi, E., Tessari, M., & Menegatti, E. (2018). Venous compliance and clinical implications. Veins and Lymphatics, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/vl.2018.7367

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.