Some observations on venous pressure estimations in the lower limb.

In this paper we report an investigation of venous pressures during exercise in ambulant patients. The investigation was undertaken because we wished to assess more accurately the abnormal venous mechanisms in patients complaining of swollen, painful or ulcerated legs. Phlebography, upon which great reliance has formerly been placed, has two limitations. Firstly, it yields only a knowledge of anatomical or architectural venous defects, which may be difficult or impossible to correlate with the accompanying symptoms. Secondly, phlebograms are difficult to interpret and may give misleading information. The method described below has enabled us to obtain functional as well as anatomical data ; and from a