2005 Volume 16 Issue 5 Pages 351-355
In varicose veins, reflux in the saphenous vein causes overflow in the deep venous system that leads to dilatation and incompetence of the deep vein. Surgical intervention can relieve the volume overload and hence the incompetence of the deep vein. In the present paper, the reflux circuit theory of venous overload was tested using our clinical data. A total of 110 varicose veins of 85 patients were treated surgically (stripping in 41 limbs and high ligation in 69 limbs) between May 2004 and April 2005. Venous function was evaluated by air plethysmography, and the diameter of the femoral vein was measured by ultrasound pre-operatively and at 1 month after the surgery. The venous filling index decreased significantly after high ligation (from 6.6±4.4 ml/sec to 2.0±1.8 ml/sec, mean±SD; p<0.001) and after stripping surgery (from 8.6±4.7 ml/sec to 1.6±0.7 ml/sec, p<0.001). The vertical diameter of the femoral vein decreased significantly after the stripping surgery (from 13.1±2.41mm to 11.2±1.8mm, p<0.05), but, there was no significant change in the transverse diameter (from 12.3±3.1mm to 10.6±1.9mm) or cross-sectional area (from 99±28mm2 to 93±22mm2). There was no significant change in the vertical diameter, transvers diameter, or cross-sectional area after the high ligation (from 10.9±2.8mm to 9.9±2.0mm; 10.4±2.6mm to 10.0±1.7mm; 90±35mm2 vs. 82±28mm; respectively). The vertical diameter of the femoral vein decreased after the stipping surgery but not after the high ligation.
