Yung-Wei Chi – Chronic Venous Insufficiency

Lower extremity venous insufficiency, or venous incompetence, is a common medical condition that affects 25-30% of adult women and about 15% of men in Western society. A majority of patients with varicose veins have insufficiency of the truncal veins in the legs. Most frequently, the great saphenous vein (GSV) is involved, but incompetence of the small saphenous vein (SSV) is not uncommon and can occur in up to 20% of individuals with varicose veins. Classic symptoms and signs of venous insufficiency are aching, discomfort, oedema and muscle cramps. Associated complications include eczema, lipodermatosclerosis, atrophy blanche, superficial thrombophlebitis and venous ulcerations. Chronic venous insufficiency has a great impact on patients’ health-related quality of life, which is comparable to other common diseases and is associated with considerable health-care costs. Treatments of varicose veins reduces the symptoms and complications of chronic venous insufficiency and improves health-related quality of life.

Learning Objectives:
1. Acknowledge venous specific assessment tools
2. Understand the pathophysiology underlying chronic venous insufficiency from spider veins to venous ulcer
3. Ability to perform full clinical assessment of patient with chronic venous insufficiency
4. Identify appropriate tests for patients who have chronic venous insufficiency