SELECTIVE SAPHENOUS-VEIN REPAIR - A 5-YEAR FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

Objective: To evaluate the effect of selective saphenous vein repair (SSVR) in a 5-year follow-up study. Design: Prospective, randomized study of 44 subjects randomized to an SSVR group and a control group. Setting: University Clinic, Chieti, and Angiology and Vascular Surgery Clinic, Pescara, Italy. Patients: Twenty-two patients in the SSVR group and 22 in the control group. Inclusion criteria were incompetence of the saphenofemoral junction (SFJ) with presence of valve cusps and two to five venous sites in the long saphenous vein. Interventions: SFJ plication and selective interruption of the incompetent sites under general anaesthetic. Main outcome measures: Ambulatory venous pressure measurements (refilling time) and colour duplex scanning to detect the number of incompetent sites. Results: After 5 years, 18 patients in the SSVR group and 19 in the control group completed the study. SSVR increased refilling time (p<0.02) and the number of incompetent sites was decreased (p<0.02); in the control group, refilling time remained short and the number of incompetent sites increased (p<0.05). Conclusion: SSVR is an effective treatment with good 5-year results on incompetence and the development of new incompetent venous sites.