Quality of life in patients with vascular malformations of the lower extremity*1

With the exception of capillary malformations (port-wine stains), the adverse psychosocial effects of vascular malformations have not received much attention in the medical literature. We, therefore, studied health related quality of life of patients with vascular malformations located primarily on the lower extremity, who presented to us over a 10-year period. Patient's self-assessment of quality of life was measured by the Multiple Outcomes Study (MOS) Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36™). Several possible predictors were also examined.