Assessment of Relationship between Saphenofemoral Junction Reflux and Great Saphenous Vein Diameter using Doppler Ultrasonography in Patients with Chronic Venous Disease: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Chronic venous disease is a commonly occurring disease that includes a variety of pathological conditions like varicose veins, oedema, skin abnormalities, and ulceration, among which the most prevalent are the varicose veins. Doppler imaging is presently the first investigation for evaluating chronic venous disease.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between Saphenofemoral Junction (SFJ) reflux and Great Saphenous Vein (GSV) diameter in patients with chronic venous disease and to determine the best cut-off value of GSV diameter in predicting reflux.

Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Radiology, SRM Medical College and Hospital, Tamil Nadu, India, from December 2019 to June 2021 on 76 patients with chronic venous disease. The study was conducted on a GE Logic P9 ultrasound machine, the diameter of GSV was measured close to the SFJ, at the Proximal Thigh (PT); 15 cm distal to the SFJ, and at the calf. The diameter of the GSV was compared with the presence of SFJ reflux. Similarly, Short Saphenous Vein (SSV) diameter was also measured posterior to the knee and was correlated with Saphenopopliteal Junction (SPJ) reflux. Chi-square and student t-tests were used for analysis with a cut-off value determined through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results: The mean age of study participants was 51±15.85 years with age range of 19-78 years. Of total, 42 (55.26%) had chronic venous insufficiency on the left side and 34 (44.74%) had on the right side. The mean GSV diameter at SFJ and at PT was higher in patients with SFJ incompetence and was statistically significant with a p-value of 0.001 and 0.002, respectively by t-test. Although the mean GSV diameter at calf was higher in patients with SFJ incompetence, it was statistically insignificant. The GSV diameter at the SFJ had the best cut-off value for predicting incompetence, with a mean diameter of 5.95 mm with 76.3% sensitivity and 76.3% specificity. The cut-off of SSV at the posterior knee for predicting SPJ incompetence was 4.6 mm which had a sensitivity of 72.7% and specificity of 88.7% and diagnostic accuracy of 86.84%.

Conclusion: The GSV diameter at SFJ and PT help in predicting SFJ incompetence. The SSV diameter at SPJ aids in predicting SPJ incompetence.