Treatment with CDT for IFVT achieves good patency and vein function after 6 years of follow-up in this highly selected group of patients. We suggest that results from future studies should be presented as Kaplan-Meier plots using venous patency without reflux as the main outcome, since it is an early indicator of the clinical outcome.

PTS was associated with worse QOL, although only a few patients developed PTS after catheter-directed thrombolysis of iliofemoral venous thrombosis. Patients with patent veins and sufficient valves have higher QOL scores than patients with reflux and occluded veins.

No abstract

CDT of iliofemoral DVT is a safe procedure. The patients can stay in a clinical vascular ward. The long-term efficacy is still durable in producing competent veins as concluded in our earlier published results.

In this observational study of CDT for ilio-femoral DVT it was demonstrated that symptom duration less than 2 weeks, absence of chronic post-thrombotic lesions and use of the pulse-spray technique for CDT resulted in better primary patency including normal valve function in the long term.

No abstract

Muscle contractures are a common complication in patients with central nervous system (CNS) lesions which limit range of movement and cause joint deformities. Furthermore, it has previously been shown that muscles with contractures have a reduced number of capillaries, indicating decreased tissue vascularization. The aim of the present study was to investigate the microvascular volume (MV) at rest and after acute exercise in the muscle tissue of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) and healthy control individuals. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was used before and after 30 min of walking or running on a treadmill in 10 healthy control participants and 10 individuals with CP to detect MV of their skeletal muscle tissue. A significant increase in the MV was observed after exercise both in the adult CP group (21-53 yr) and in the control group (21-52 yr) (1.8 ± 0.8 ΔdB to 3.1 ± 0.9 ΔdB or 42.9% and 1.5 ± 0.6 ΔdB to 2.5 ± 0.9 ΔdB or 39.0%, respectively). Furthermore, a difference in the resting MV was observed between the most severe cases of CP [gross motor function classification scale (GMFCS) 3 and 4] (2.3 ± 0.5 ΔdB) and the less severe cases (GMFCS 1 and 2) (1.5 ± 0.2 ΔdB). When the CP group was walking (3.4 km/h), the lactate levels, Borg score, and heart rate matched the level of controls when they were running (9.8 km/h). In conclusion, individuals with CP become exhausted at much lower exercise intensities than healthy individuals. This is not explained by impaired microvascularization, since the MV of the individuals with CP respond normally to increased O demand during acute exercise. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Cerebral palsy (CP) patients were less physically active compared with typically developed individuals. This may affect the microvascularization. We observed that the CP group became exhausted at much lower exercise intensities compared with healthy individuals. However, impaired microvascularization was not the reason for the decreased physical activity as the CP group responded normally to increased O demand during acute exercise. These results indicate that walking may be recommended as an intervention to train and maintain skeletal muscle tissue in individuals with CP.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is used to visualize the microvascularization in various tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether CEUS could be used to visualize the microvascular volume (MV) in the plantar fascia, and to compare the method to clinical symptoms and B-mode ultrasound (US) in patients with plantar fasciitis (PF). Twenty patients with unilateral PF were included and were divided by US in insertional thickening (10), midsubstance thickening (5), and no US changes (5). The MV was measured simultaneously in both heels. Four areas in the plantar fascia and plantar fat pad were measured independently by two observers. Inter- and intra-observer correlation analyses were performed. The asymptomatic heels showed a constantly low MV, and for the whole group of patients, a significantly higher MV was found in the symptomatic plantar fascia and plantar fat pad. Inter-observer correlation as well as intra-observer agreement was excellent. The MV in the plantar fascia and plantar fat pad can be measured reliably using CEUS, suggesting that it is a reproducible method to examine patients with plantar fasciitis.