Saphenous venous reflux time is an objective assessment tool that relates to the severity of varicose vein symptoms

Aim: The severity of varicose vein symptoms is no more than a subjective assessment of the underlying disease. The aim of this study was to use an objective method for assessing the severity of the condition. Methods: We describe a test based on measuring the venous reflux time (VRT) using hand-held Doppler (HHD). To evaluate the efficiency of this test, a prospective study of 61 consecutive primary varicose vein patients with sapheno-femoral incompetence was carried out. Patients were scored preoperatively by a self-assessment questionnaire. The score was compared with the VRT of the same patients. Six months after surgery, a similar self-assessment questionnaire was sent to all patients. Results: The VRT was found to have a highly significant relationship to the preoperative score (rho = 0.73, p = <0.001). It was also found that most of the patients with a low score of less than or equal to 3 had a VRT of less than or equal to 13 s whilst most with a high score of >3 had a VRT of >13 s (sensitivity 78%, specificity 100%, accuracy 84%, p=<0.0001). Only 41 patients responded to the postoperative questionnaire, giving symptom scores of 0 in 40 patients and a score of I in one patient. Conclusions VRT is a simple, objective, non-invasive method of assessment of varicose veins, which relates strongly to the magnitude of the patients' symptoms.