Venous function after fracture of the lower extremity. A 9-year follow-up of 150 cases.

One hundred and fifty patients were examined 8-10 years after a fracture of the lower limb to evaluate whether the frequency of deep venous insufficiency (DVI) was influenced by the type of fracture. The evaluation included clinical examination, subjective complaints, venous pressure, plethysmography and doppler sonography. Symptoms and signs of DVI were more common in the fractured than in the uninjured limbs, while objectively diagnosed DVI did not differ between the groups. Only minor differences were present in the development of DVI between limbs with various types of fracture (hip fractures were not included in the study). High age and incompetence of the popliteal valves were more important in the development of DVI than the earlier fracture. The frequency of objectively measured DVI in the fractured limbs was 35 per cent and in the uninjured limbs 30 per cent.