Radiofrequency ablation of the great saphenous vein in an elderly patient with co-morbid disease.
An 86-year-old male patient with hypertension, Parkinsonism, benign prostatic hyperplasia, cataract and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had a history of coronary bypass surgery in two veins due to anterior myocardial infarction one year earlier. He presented with pain and feelings of paresthesia below the knee of his left leg, and had fallen twice. He had used compressions and venoprotective medication for two years and had also received physiotherapy but it had not alleviated the symptoms. He had varicose dilatations in the left leg and pigmentation and a recovered venous ulcer scar were present on the medial malleolus. The patient was classed as grade 4 according to the CEAP classification. Because there was no deficiency in the superficial femoral and popliteal veins, the patient was taken for endovenous ablation. He had no pain or sensation of heaviness in the legs on postoperative day 10, and the first, third and sixth months of check up. Endovenous ablation is a procedure that increases the quality of life and comfort in elderly patients, with minimal pain. Radiofrequency catheter procedures have proven to be more successful in patients of all age groups than procedures such as standard surgery and foam therapy.
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medical Faculty, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Kepez, Çanakkale, Turkey.
Alı Ümıt
AÜ
Yener
Özlem
Ö
Yener
Hikmet Selçuk
HS
Gedik
Kemal
K
Korkmaz
Turgut
T
Özkan
Ayşe
A
Lafçi
Kerim
K
Çağli
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014689:Venous Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*