An observational study of the correlation between Clinical/Etiological/Anatomical/Pathophysiological, Venous Clinical Severity Score, and heaviness/ache/swelling/throbbing/itching classifications for chronic venous insufficiency

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate consecutive patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) describing the relationship between Clinical/Etiological/Anatomical/Pathophysiological (CEAP) classification, leg heaviness/ache/swelling/throbbing/itching (HASTI) score, and Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) and assessing the correlation between them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CEAP classification, HASTI, and VCSS of consecutive patients were recorded, and their correlations were evaluated. RESULTS: Four hundred eighty-four consecutive patients from March 2018 to March 2019 were studied. Significant correlations were detected between the HASTI and CEAP classification (F = 16.558, P < 0.001) and between VCSS and CEAP classification (F = 57.073, P < 0.001). The VCSS correlated more positively with CEAP (Spearman's correlation coefficient r = 0.740, P < 0.001) than HASTI (Spearman's correlation coefficient r = 0.536, P < 0.001). Using CEAP ≥2 as the cutoff, the areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve of the HASTI and VCSS were 0.694 and 0.774, respectively (P < 0.001 or both). The HASTI and VCSS cutoff values of 6.50 and 4.50, respectively, were identified as indicators of significant CVI with corresponding sensitivities of 63.8% and 78.7% and specificities of 65.6% and 47.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Increasing HASTI and VCSS corresponded to increasing CEAP class in patients with CVI. The result may be applicable for early screening of patients with CVI.