Vascular Health and Risk Management (Feb 2022)

The Application of MEVEC 3D Doppler Ultrasound Technique for a New Classification of Morpho-Functional Phenotypes in Lower Limbs Venous Diseases

  • Galeandro AI,
  • Galeandro C,
  • Scicchitano P,
  • Clima R,
  • Ritacco IA,
  • Dellisanti Fabiano Vilardi M,
  • Di Ponzio E,
  • Annichiarico A,
  • Ciciarello F,
  • Contursi V,
  • Wegierska AE,
  • Ciccone MM

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 18
pp. 81 – 87

Abstract

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Aldo Innocente Galeandro,1 Cristina Galeandro,2 Pietro Scicchitano,3 Rosanna Clima,4 Ilenia Annunziata Ritacco,5 Massimiliano Dellisanti Fabiano Vilardi,1 Egidio Di Ponzio,1 Annamaria Annichiarico,1 Francesco Ciciarello,6 Vincenzo Contursi,7 Angelika Elzbieta Wegierska,3 Marco Matteo Ciccone3 1Unit of Technological Medical Research of the Parco Scientifico-Tecnologico, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Bari, Italy; 2Section of Vascular Surgery, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; 3Section of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; 4BROWSer S.r.l. - Bioinformatics Resource for Omics Wide Services, Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Biotecnologie e Biofarmaceutica, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Bari, Italy; 5Section of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; 6Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Geriatric and Morphologic Sciences of “Umberto I” Polyclinic of Rome, “Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy; 7Italian Society for Interdisciplinary Primary Care, Bari, ItalyCorrespondence: Pietro Scicchitano, Section of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardio-Thoracic Department, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Piazza G. Cesare, Bari, 11 – 70124, Italy, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: MEVEC 2.1 is a novel 3D mapping software dedicated to the evaluation of the venous vascular three of the lower limbs. It has already proven as a sensitive, specific, and accurate technique able to provide better morphologic and functional details of the lower limb venous system than standard reports. The aim of this study was to identify specific morpho-functional graphic phenotypes in lower limb venous diseases by means of MEVEC 2.1.Materials: Three-hundred eleven consecutive outpatients underwent lower limb Doppler ultrasound examination by means of the MEVEC 2.1 technique. All of them showed at least one among these pathological findings: venous insufficiency, thrombosis, incompressibility, and/or incompetent.Results: We tried to evaluate possible clusters among the different morpho-functional findings from the venous maps in order to outline reproducible phenotypes. Correlation indexes allowed us to provide a classification in morpho-functional phenotypes in order to standardize the data from examinations performed by different physicians. Twelve phenotypes had been proposed.Conclusion: The study showed that the MEVEC 2.1 technique provides a standardized classification that allows physicians identifying phenotypes yielded by 3D mapping of the veins of the lower limbs.Keywords: lower limb venous diseases, venous ultrasound, MEVEC, 3D mapping, venous mapping

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