Who what, where, and why of venous insufficiency

Blood travels through your arteries from your heart to the rest of your body. Your arteries transport blood that is enriched with oxygen to your organs and tissues. The deoxygenated blood in your leg veins is returned to the heart for an additional oxygen boost. When blood flow in the veins in your legs is disturbed, venous insufficiency results.

Venous insufficiency is the medical term for when your veins have problems returning blood from your extremities to your heart. Blood pools in the veins in your legs as a result of the improper blood flow back to the heart in this illness. Varicose veins, leg ulcers, blood clots, leg swelling, skin changes, soreness, itching, and cramping are just a few of the symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency that can result from blood accumulating within the vein walls. In addition to restless leg syndrome, which causes uncontrollable leg movements, particularly at night, many persons with CVI also report this condition.

Vein insufficiency can be brought on by a number of things, but deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins are the main culprits.

What causes venous insufficiency?

Blood clots or varicose veins are the two leading causes of venous insufficiency.

• Blood flows continuously from the limbs back toward the heart in healthy veins. Leg veins contain valves that help stop blood from flowing backward.

• Blood builds up below a blood clot when onward flow through the veins is blocked, such as in the case of a blood clot, which can cause venous insufficiency.

• The valves are frequently absent or damaged in varicose veins, allowing blood to seep back through the compromised valves.

• In some circumstances, venous insufficiency can also be exacerbated by weakening the leg muscles that squeeze blood forward.

• Women experience venous insufficiency more frequently than males.

Treatment options for venous insufficiency

To diagnose CVI, a vein expert or vascular surgeon will examine you physically, go through your medical history, and look at your symptoms. To see how blood flows through the veins in your legs, they could use a vascular or duplex ultrasound.

There are many various approaches that can be used to treat venous insufficiency :

1. To Increase blood flow

• Keep your legs elevated.

• To exert pressure on your lower legs, put on a pair of compression stockings.

• When sitting, keep your legs uncrossed.

• Regular exercise

• Medications

2. Numerous drugs are available that could be beneficial for people with this illness. These consist of the following :

• Pentoxifylline (Trental) : A medicine that promotes blood flow, is a diuretic, which removes surplus bodily fluid and excretes it through the kidneys. Anticoagulants thin the blood.

3. Surgery

Surgery may be necessary for some more severe venous insufficiency instances.

One of the following surgical procedures might be recommended by your doctor :

• The surgical vein or valve repair.

• Taking out (stripping) the injured vein.

• A small tube with a camera is inserted by the surgeon during minimally invasive endoscopic. surgery to help identify and close off varicose veins.

• Vein bypass :

  The transplantation of a healthy vein from another part of your body. usually only applied to the upper thigh and only as a final resort in the most extreme circumstances.

• Laser surgery :

  It is a relatively recent procedure that uses intense bursts of light from lasers in a very small, precise area to either fade or seals the injured vein.

• Phlebectomy :

  Your doctor will numb specific areas of your leg before performing this outpatient surgery (you won't need to stay the night in the hospital). Small punctures will then be made, and the smaller varicose veins will be removed.

• Sclerotherapy :

  Sclerotherapy involves injecting a substance into the injured vein to stop it from carrying blood. Through other veins, blood will return to the heart, and the injured vein will eventually be absorbed by the body.

• Catheter techniques :

  Your doctor may perform a catheter operation on larger veins in severe circumstances. A catheter, which is a short tube, will be inserted into the vein, heated, and then removed. As the catheter is removed, the heat will induce the vein to close and seal.