What does it mean when varicose veins occasionally have blocked blood flow?

Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
Updated on September 17, 2024
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The so-called varicose veins are caused by blood circulation blockages, which likely refers to local thrombus formation, leading to feelings of congestion in lower limbs, or caused by compression from above, such as tight clothing, exacerbating the obstruction of blood flow. This might result in increased surface tension of varicose veins in the lower extremities. Additionally, there might be some pain upon pressing, or even spontaneous pain.

In such cases, differentiated treatment is required. For instance, if the issue is due to compressive clothing, like tight-knee socks or pants legs that are too tight, simply relieving the pressure should suffice.

However, if a thrombus has formed causing increased local tension, pressing or massaging must be strictly avoided, as there is a risk the thrombus might dislodge and potentially lead to pulmonary embolism.

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Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
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What does it mean when varicose veins occasionally have blocked blood flow?

The so-called varicose veins are caused by blood circulation blockages, which likely refers to local thrombus formation, leading to feelings of congestion in lower limbs, or caused by compression from above, such as tight clothing, exacerbating the obstruction of blood flow. This might result in increased surface tension of varicose veins in the lower extremities. Additionally, there might be some pain upon pressing, or even spontaneous pain. In such cases, differentiated treatment is required. For instance, if the issue is due to compressive clothing, like tight-knee socks or pants legs that are too tight, simply relieving the pressure should suffice. However, if a thrombus has formed causing increased local tension, pressing or massaging must be strictly avoided, as there is a risk the thrombus might dislodge and potentially lead to pulmonary embolism.

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Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
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What are the harms of varicose veins?

The harms of varicocele are mainly manifested in the following aspects. The first aspect is that varicocele causes a sensation of dragging pain in the testicles, affecting the patient's normal work and life. The second aspect is that due to the presence of varicocele, there is a decline in the quality of male semen, which affects male fertility. The third aspect is that if the varicocele is severe and persists for a long time, it may lead to testicular atrophy, resulting in a decrease in the level of testosterone secretion by the testicles, which reduces male sexual function. Therefore, patients with varicocele, especially those with decreased semen quality, should actively seek surgical treatment, which currently mainly involves high ligation of the spermatic vein.

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Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
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The difference between thromboangiitis obliterans and varicose veins

Firstly, these are two completely different diseases. Thromboangiitis obliterans is an inflammatory vascular disease involving the medium and small veins and arteries, causing migratory superficial phlebitis and leading to the obstruction of the veins, as well as some obstructions in the lower limb arteries. Thus, thromboangiitis obliterans includes some obliterative diseases of both arteries and veins, the cause of which is an autoimmune inflammation. Varicose veins are one of the most common vascular surgical diseases. They primarily manifest as tortuous, clustered, and dilated superficial veins of the lower limbs. This condition does not involve arterial changes, but varicose veins can progressively worsen and may lead to pigmentation and ulceration, which at that time necessitates differentiation from arterial ulcers. Generally, the ulceration in varicose veins is located in the "gaiter area," which is the area covered by a boot when wearing one, including the lower one-half to one-third of the lower leg. Most of the ulcers from varicose veins primarily appear above the inner ankle. The ischemia caused by thromboangiitis obliterans leads to a dry-type ischemia, where the limbs can gradually become dry, shriveled, atrophied, and blackened, with ulcers typically beginning from the extremities.

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Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
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Late-stage complications of lower extremity varicose veins

In the advanced stages of lower extremity varicose veins, fixed ulcers can appear above the ankle in certain specific areas. These ulcers may improve or worsen intermittently and are long-lasting. The ulcers might gradually enlarge, and pigmentation can occur around them, with the skin gradually darkening, and even turning black. If these ulcers continue to remain unhealed for an extended period, there is a possibility of cancerous changes in some individuals. Therefore, it is essential to treat lower extremity varicose veins that have progressed to ulcers, with the primary treatments being compression therapy and medication, which can also be combined with surgical treatment.

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Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
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What are the effects of secondary surgery for varicose veins?

If varicose veins recur, we need to carefully investigate the cause of the recurrence and rule out problems in the deep venous system. If there is an obstruction in the deep veins, recurrence can occur quickly even after secondary surgery on the superficial veins. If the deep veins are only involved in venous reflux, surgery can still be performed, but it is hoped that medical compression stockings will be worn for a period of time after surgery. Otherwise, there is still a possibility of recurrence after the secondary surgery.