Venous disease

Varicose veins is a very common medical condition. The venous system is divided in a deep (accompanying the arteries deep within the leg) and a superficial (just below the skin) component. Varicose veins occur as a result of incompetent valves, mostly within the superficial system that allow backflow of blood and therefore abnormally high venous pressure to develop. The venous system is designed as a low pressure system and therefore unable to cope with the increase in pressure. This leads to varicosities forming secondary to the high pressure with further weakening of the venous valves. It is not possible to repair these delicate valves. In some patients, it leads to cosmetic problems. In most, however, it is a source of discomfort, pain, swelling and thrombophlebitis (clotting and inflammation of the vein). It may also lead to skin changes, ulcers, bleeding and disability.

What are the related symptoms of venous disease?

Venous disease symptoms include:

Treatment options for venous disease:

The aim of treatment in venous disease would be to divert blood flow from the diseased superficial system to the healthy deep venous system. This can be accomplished either by removing the diseased segment of the vein (tying and stripping of the vein), performing sclerotherapy (injecting the vein with a substance that will induce scarring and obliteration of the lumen) or by applying heat to the vein from the inside to obliterate the lumen (the Venefit / Venus procedure).