Acute Eczematous Inflammation Description ■ Acute eczematous inflammation is characterized clinically by erythema, edema, and vesiculation. Weeping or oozing of acute lesions is typical. Pruritus is often severe. History ■ There are multiple causes of acute eczema. They include allergic…
Basic Principles of Treatment Maintaining the Skin Barrier ■ The skin assists in fluid homeostasis and protects against infections, toxins, and harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. ■ The outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum, provides this protection through…
The opening, timeless quotation from Henry Faxon, Assistant in Surgery at Harvard Medical School in 1933, resulted from a careful analysis of 314 cases from the peripheral circulatory clinic of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Unfortunately, this quotation is timeless in…
When analyzing side effects and complications of sclerotherapy, one should remember that sclerosing agents are drugs that are injected into veins not to cure them but to obliterate them. In terms of safety of use and results, sclerosing agents are…
General Mechanism for Producing Endothelial Damage Sclerotherapy refers to the introduction of a foreign substance into the lumen of a vessel, aiming to create venous wall damage leading to occlusion of the vessel ( Fig. 7.1 ). This procedure, when…
Historical Development The oldest known illustration of compression bandages dates back to the Neolithic Age (5000–2500 bc ) ( Fig. 6.1 ). The ancient Hebrews, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used compression therapy for treatment of wounds and ulcers, as described…
Before sclerotherapy is performed, the examiner must obtain a focused history and perform a meticulous physical examination, including inspection and palpation (level 1). This combination places the patient into a proper clinical classification, and this, in turn, will dictate therapy.…
The term telangiectasia was coined in 1807 by Von Graf to describe a superficial vessel of the skin visible to the human eye. These vessels measure 0.1–1 mm in diameter and represent an expanded venule, capillary or arteriole. Telangiectasias that originate…
Essentially, three components of the venous system of the leg act in concert: deep veins, superficial veins and perforating-communicating veins. Dysfunction in any of these three systems results in dysfunction of the other two ( Fig. 3.1 ). When the…
Pathogenesis Chronic venous insufficiency, which must be semantically distinguished from venous disease or disorder, may be defined as relative impedance of venous flow back to the heart and may be responsible for clinical consequences. When this occurs in the lower…