Vascular skin ulcers of limbs.

On clinical grounds, ulcers of the leg of vascular origin can fairly easily be separated into venous and arterial origins; 85% of ulcers of the leg are caused by venous insufficiency. The ulcers occur mainly around the medial malleolus, are covered by moist granulation tissue, and are surrounded by varying degrees of stasis dermatitis and brown hemosiderin pigmentation. The limb is usually edematous and improves with elevation. In contrast, arterial ulcers of the leg develop more distally on the toes or feet, severe pain is a prominent feature, and the dry crusted ulcers usually lack granulation tissue. Elevation of the leg aggravated the pain of ischemic ulcers, whereas dependency of the limb provides some relief. Both types of ulcers heal faster with occlusive dressings that furnish a moist wound environment. Patients with ulcers caused by venous insufficiency can have coexisting peripheral atherosclerosis. Compression elastic stockings used for venous insufficiency should not be so tight that they induce necrosis of the skin in patients with occult arterial disease.