Superficial thrombophlebitis of the lower limbs in patients with varicose veins

This study reviews 51 consecutive patients with superficial thrombophlebitis (STP) among 710 patients treated for varicose veins in our department. Methods. An assessment was made of various factors involved. Of these 51 patients, 21 (41.1%) had systemic disorders, including 4 (7.8%) with malignant...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Surgery today (Tokyo, Japan) Japan), 2002-01, Vol.32 (5), p.397-401
Main Authors: Unno, Naoki, Mitsuoka, Hiroshi, Uchiyama, Takashi, Yamamoto, Naoto, Saito, Takaaki, Ishimaru, Kei, Kaneko, Hiroshi, Nakamura, Satoshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
alpha-2-Antiplasmin - analysis
Antifibrinolytic Agents - analysis
Antithrombin III - analysis
Blood Coagulation
C-Reactive Protein - analysis
Female
Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products - analysis
Fibrinolysin - analysis
Fibrinolysis
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Peptide Hydrolases - analysis
Pulmonary Embolism - complications
Risk Factors
Thrombophlebitis - blood
Thrombophlebitis - complications
Varicose Veins - blood
Varicose Veins - complications
Venous Thrombosis - complications
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study reviews 51 consecutive patients with superficial thrombophlebitis (STP) among 710 patients treated for varicose veins in our department. Methods. An assessment was made of various factors involved. Of these 51 patients, 21 (41.1%) had systemic disorders, including 4 (7.8%) with malignant diseases. Six patients (11.8%) had deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and five (9.8%) had pulmonary embolism (PE). All of the patients with DVT and/or PE had a thrombus in either the greater saphenous vein or the lesser saphenous vein; however, none of the patients with STP and a thrombus in the distal saphenous branch had either DVT or PE. The levels of coagulofibrinolytic markers such as fibrin degradation product-D dimer, plasmin alpha plasmin inhibitor complex, and thrombin antithrombin III complex were elevated in patients with STP or DVT, compared with those with varicose veins only. The level of C-reactive protein (CRP) was also elevated in the patients with STP or DVT. These findings indicate that STP is not necessarily a localized disease, but may be a symptom of systemic disease. In addition to duplex scanning, the measurement of coagulofibrinolytic markers as well as CRP may be useful for detecting STP and/ or DVT prior to the treatment of varicose veins.
ISSN:0941-1291
1436-2813
DOI:10.1007/s005950200061