Hossam El Benawi: Is Ultrasound Alone Enough to Diagnose CVI?
Hossam El Benawi, Senior Clinical Research Fellow of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co – authored, adding:
“Is ultrasound alone enough to diagnose chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)?
Our data suggest it may fall short.
In 839 patients (1478 limbs), photoplethysmography (PG) consistently outperformed ultrasound (US) in detecting venous incompetence and identifying severe disease.
CVI severity was classified by CEAP score.
Severe CVI: 32.3% of limbs
US detection: 67.4% overall, 75.3% in severe CVI
PG detection: 72.9% overall, 88.5% in severe CVI
In machine learning models PG outperformed US parameters in predicting severe CVI (AUROC: 0.82 vs 0.65).
Limiting PG data to incompetence and obstruction parameters modestly reduced performance but remained higher than US (logistic regression AUROC 0.72). (Figure 1)
Takeaway:
A quantitative, whole – limb hemodynamic assessment with PG may better stratify CVI severity – and improve prognostic insight – than ultrasound alone.”
Title: Plethysmography compared to ultrasound for the evaluation of chronic venous insufficiency
Authors: Hossam Elbenawi, David Liedl, Thom Rooke, Ana I Casanegra, Paul Wennberg, Gina K Hesley, Robert McBane, Damon E Houghton
Read the Full Article on Vascular Medicine
Find more posts from Hossam El Benawi on Hemostasis Today.
-
May 28, 2026, 09:16Maxime Dely: The Human Connection Behind Stem Cell Donation
-
May 28, 2026, 09:15Heghine Khachatryan: Maternal Health Begins With Recognizing Iron Deficiency Early
-
May 28, 2026, 09:15Alejandro González Veliz: Why Cardiovascular Prevention Matters More Than Intervention
-
May 28, 2026, 05:29Kidist K.: First Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty Performed as New CTEPH Program Launches
-
May 28, 2026, 04:59Maria Sol Andres: Exploring Lipid Disorders in Modern Cancer Care
-
May 28, 2026, 04:42Francesca Granata: Representing the Porphyria Community at the 79th World Health Assembly
-
May 28, 2026, 04:29Samone Cook: When Collaboration Turns Into Organizational Coagulation
-
May 28, 2026, 03:42Lara Bloom: 15,000 Steps, Countless Conversations – One Unforgettable WHA79
-
May 27, 2026, 23:00Octavio Marques Pontes-Neto: Exchanging Latin American Experiences at the Global Stroke Alliance Meeting in Buenos Aires