cardiovascular disorders
Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Post Thrombotic Syndrome
Introduction
Chronic venous insufficiencyis impaired venous return, sometimes causing lower extremity discomfort, edema, and skin changes.Post-thrombotic (postphlebitic ) syndromeis symptomatic chronic venous insufficiency after deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Causes of chronic venous insufficiency are disorders that result in venous hypertension, usually through venous damage or incompetence of venous valves, as occurs (for example) after DVT. Diagnosis is by history, physical examination, and duplex ultrasonography. Treatment is compression, wound care, and, rarely, surgery. Prevention requires adequate treatment of DVT and compression stockings. Prevalence estimates of chronic venous insufficiency vary widely, reflecting differences in the study populations ( General references ). Post-thrombotic syndrome may affect up to 50% of patients with 