title: [Principles of surgical treatment of varicose veins with regard to new findings on venous hemodynamics].
abstract: Pressure changes occurring during the activity of the calf muscle venous pump are the driving force of venous hemodynamics in the lower extremity. An ambulatory pressure gradient arises between the veins of the thigh and the lower leg as a consequence of pumping up the blood from the deep veins of the lower leg, where the venous pressure decreases, into the popliteal and femoral vein, where no pressure decrease occurs. Therefore, venous reflux can only take place in an incompetent vein connecting the femoral, profunda femoris, popliteal or iliac vein with one of the deep veins of the lower leg. Calf perforators represent the so called re-entry points and can't become the source of reflux. Venous reflex disturbs venous hemodynamics to a various degree dependent on the magnitude of reflux volume. When strong enough, it can produce the graviest form of chronic venous insufficiency even if localised in superficial veins. The magnitude of reflux volume, not the localisation of reflux in deep or superficial veins is the most important hemodynamic factor causing venous disturbance. The goal of varicose vein surgery is to remove reflux and visible varicose veins with the aim to achieve the most favorable hemodynamic and cosmetic results. Crossectomy is a very important step, because it is able to repair even the most pronounced hemodynamic disorder and restore normal hemodynamic conditions. If stripping of the incompetent saphenous trunk on the thigh is not performed in addition to crossectomy, the saphenous trunk continues to be patent and incompetent after surgery in most patients and provokes recurrent reflux. But nor can crossectomy combined with stripping avert the risk of recurrence definitively, because varicose veins are a dynamic disease with distinct tendency to recurrence. Correctly performed operation can reduce the recurrence rate and postpone its occurrence. A hemodynamic factor--the ambulatory pressure gradient--triggers probably the process leading to recurrence. When varicose veins recur, the recurrent reflux volume remains significantly lower for many years of follow-up as compared with the situation before surgery. External banding of incompetent valve in the long saphenous vein and the CHIVA-method are less efficient in comparison with standard surgery (crossectomy plus stripping). Sclerotherapy is a useful supplement to surgery during follow-up, as it is able to improve significantly the hemodynamic situation. This improvement is only transitory, but sclerotherapy can be repeated and the improvement re-established, if necessary, during follow-up.
authors.affiliation: recek@aon.at
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Recek
mesh_terms: D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014680:Veins / Q000503:physiopathology; D014689:Venous Insufficiency / Q000503:physiopathology; D014690:Venous Pressure