Clinical Manifestations in Patients with Segmental Hypoplasia of Great Saphenous Vein

Kulah, Bahadir/0000-0001-5480-2621WOS: 000404556300004Objectives: Segmental hypoplasia of the great saphenous vein (GSV) is a common condition which may cause chronic venous insufficiency. Despite the high incidence thereof, few studies have investigated GSV hypoplasia. We evaluated the presentations of patients with GSV segmental hypoplasia. Design: Prospective study Setting: Bozok Universty, School of Medicine, Yozgat, Turkey Subjects and methods: Demographic and clinical data, duplex ultrasound findings, length and location of the narrowing segments, and coexisting chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with segmental hypoplasia of the GSV were grouped according to the length and midpoint location of the narrow segment. The SPSS version 18.0 was used to conduct statistical tests. P-values < 0.05 were deemed to indicate statistical significance. Intervention: Ultrasound Main outcome measure: Hypoplastic GSV segments evaluation with ultrasonography Results: The study included 163 patients, 20% of whom were of an advanced age. We observed 257 extremities of the 163 patients. Varicose findings were observed in 62% of all patients. Comorbid CVI was significantly more common in the elderly than in the younger patients (P = 0.008). Skin changes occurred more frequently in male than in female (P = 0.016) and in elderly than in younger (P = 0.019) patients. The most common site of narrowing segments was below the knee. Conclusion: Segmental hypoplasia of the GSV commonly occurs in females. Male sex and advanced age are risk factors for skin changes, varicose findings, and DVT. DVT is more common in patients with hypoplastic segments longer than 5 cm

The association between gallstone disease and plaque in the abdominopelvic arteries

The aim of this study was to assess the atheromatous plaque, in the abdominopelvic arteries as a marker of cardiac risk in patients with or without gallstone disease (GD). Materials and Methods: A total of 136 patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Forty-eight patients had GD and the remaining 88 patients did not. The presence or absence of gallstones was noted during abdominal ultrasonography while vascular risk factors such as plaque formation, intima-media thickness, plaque calcification, mural thrombus, stenosis, aneurysm, and inflammation were recorded during an abdominopelvic computed tomography scan. In addition, percentage of the abdominopelvic aorta surface covered by atheromatous plaque was calculated. Results: The mean age of patients with GD and without GD was 50.81 +/- 16.20 and 50.40 +/- 12.43, respectively. Patients with GD were more likely to have diabetes mellitus, a higher body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.001), and higher cholesterol (P < 0.01), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P < 0.02) levels. No significant differences were found between the groups regarding other atherosclerotic risk factors. Patients with GD had significantly higher rates of the vascular risk factors as intima-media thickness, plaque formation, calcification, aneurysm, mural thrombosis, stenosis, and inflammation in all abdominal arterial segments other than aneurysm in the femoral arteries. In addition, patients with GD had severe atheromatous plaques in the abdominal aorta, common iliac, external iliac, and common femoral artery (CFA). In patients with GD, parameters of age, BMI, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were all correlated with the severity of the atheromatous plaque in abdominal aorta, common iliac, external iliac, and CFA. Conclusion: We demonstrated a direct relationship between GD and abdominopelvic atheromatous plaque, which is a marker for increased cardiovascular risk, for the first time in the literature. Patients with GD exhibit greater abdominopelvic atherosclerosis and therefore, have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease

Relationship between kidney volume and body indexes in the Turkish population determined using ultrasonography

Objective To estimate the kidney volume of the healthy Turkish population using ultrasound and to evaluate the relationship between kidney volume and body indexes. Materials and methods Kidney ultrasound evaluation was performed on 152 patients (mean age: 42±13.7 years). Kidney length, width and thickness were measured using ultrasound. Mean total and parenchymal volume were also calculated. Patients’ age, sex, weight, height and body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) were recorded. Results According to ultrasound, kidney lengths were 10.3±7.8 cm for the right and 10.4±9 cm for the left. Volumes were 158±39 cm3 for the right and 168±40 cm3 for the left. Volumes in women were 151.8±39 cm3 for the right and 159.8±37 cm3 for the left, and 164.3±38 cm3 for the right and 175.8±41 cm3 for the left in men. Kidney measurements correlated with body height and weight. A strong correlation with total kidney volume and kidney measurements was determined for body weight for both kidneys (p<0.001). A significant correlation with kidney volume and width was determined for both kidneys (p<0.001). A positive correlation was also found between parenchymal and total kidney volume for both kidneys (p<0.001). Conclusion The most significant factors associated with kidney volume for both kidneys in the Turkish population are kidney width and body weight. Measuring kidney volume with ultrasound is a feasible modality and is widely available for daily clinical practice