Superficial thrombophlebitis of the lower limbs in patients with varicose veins.
OBJECTIVE
This study reviews 51 consecutive patients with superficial thrombophlebitis (STP) among 710 patients treated for varicose veins in our department. Methods. An assessment was made of various factors involved.


RESULTS
Of these 51 patients, 21 (41.1%) had systemic disorders, including 4 (7.8%) with malignant diseases. Six patients (11.8%) had deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and five (9.8%) had pulmonary embolism (PE). All of the patients with DVT and/or PE had a thrombus in either the greater saphenous vein or the lesser saphenous vein; however, none of the patients with STP and a thrombus in the distal saphenous branch had either DVT or PE. The levels of coagulofibrinolytic markers such as fibrin degradation product-D dimer, plasmin alpha plasmin inhibitor complex, and thrombin antithrombin III complex were elevated in patients with STP or DVT, compared with those with varicose veins only. The level of C-reactive protein (CRP) was also elevated in the patients with STP or DVT. These findings indicate that STP is not necessarily a localized disease, but may be a symptom of systemic disease. In addition to duplex scanning, the measurement of coagulofibrinolytic markers as well as CRP may be useful for detecting STP and/ or DVT prior to the treatment of varicose veins.
Unno
Naoki
N
Second Department of Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan.
Mitsuoka
Hiroshi
H
Uchiyama
Takashi
T
Yamamoto
Naoto
N
Saito
Takaaki
T
Ishimaru
Kei
K
Kaneko
Hiroshi
H
Nakamura
Satoshi
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000032:analysis; D000990:Antithrombin III / Q000032:analysis; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis; D005341:Fibrinolysin / Q000032:analysis; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000032:analysis; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000150:complications; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin / Q000032:analysis
D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin; C046193:antithrombin III-protease complex; C037742:plasmin-plasmin inhibitor complex; D000990:Antithrombin III; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D005341:Fibrinolysin