Some patients with a high body mass index have skin changes in the gaiter area which include eczema, lipodermatosclerosis and occasionally venous ulceration. Furthermore, weight loss often results in a reversal of these changes. Therefore, the assumption of an underlying venous insufficiency is valid. These include venous reflux, calf muscle pump impairment secondary to less… Read More »
Inelastic compression is an alternative to the popular elastic bandages in the treatment of venous ulceration. They act by improving the efficiency of the calf muscle pump and are more comfortable for the patient. HUGO PARTSCH Elastic bandages are widely used to treat patients with venous ulceration. However, they may cause skin damage over the… Read More »
Traditionally, varicose veins are removed through a short skin incision. These can leave scars, especially if the skin is stretched with forceps to grab the vein. Hooks to pull out the varicose veins have been a significant advance and are in common practice today. Furthermore, the skin incisions can be planned along the long axis… Read More »
Commonly the liquid sclerosants, sodium tetra-decyl sulphate (STS) or polidocanol, are agitated with a gas to produce foam ready for administration into veins. The optimal ratio of sclerosant to gas is controversial as is the type of gas used. Ambient air is popular and readily available but contains nitrogen which seeps into the general circulation.… Read More »
There are many different ways of treating varicose veins. These range from surgical operations to strip the refluxing saphenous trunks with phlebectomies under general anaesthesia, to endovenous procedures like foam sclerotherapy, and endovenous thermal ablation (EVTA) with laser, radiofrequency or steam using local anaesthetic. Endovenous thermal ablation is good for refluxing saphenous trunks but painful… Read More »
This syndrome was described by 2 French neurologists, Maurice Klippel and Paul Trénaunay in 1900. The leg is the commonest part affected. From a management perspective, if patients complain of pain or discomfort it is important to discriminate whether the cause is from the altered biomechanics of limb asymmetry, pressure on surrounding nerves or from… Read More »