The role of the anatomical structure of the lymphatic system of lower limbs in the development of chronic venous edema in varicose veins disease

Abstract

Introduction. Varicose veins disease of the lower extremities is often accompanied by edema, which persists even after the elimination of the causes of venous insufficiency. Clinically, the etiopathogenesis of edema in such patients is not always possible to differentiate. Objective. To determine the role of the lower limb lymphatic vasculature stucture variants in the development of chronic venous edema in patients with varicose veins disease. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of the results of X-ray contrast lymphography and radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy of 257 patients with different stages of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Results. Pathognomonic patterns of the lymphatic vasculature structure at various stages of lymphedema in patients with C3-C5 CVI were discovered. We found that the increasing number of cases of persistent oedema could be associated with the lower limb lymphatic vasculature hypoplasia and higher classes of CVI: 43.95 % among the patients with C4 CVI and 88 % with C5 CVI. The majority (94,1 %) of patients with C3 CVI with a normal-like lymphatic system presented with transitory oedema. With CVI C5, the capacity of the groin lymph nodes was impaired in 64 %. In C4 CVI, weak contrasting was observed in 45.1 %. With C3 – in 35.1 % of cases. Conclusions. The progressing degree of chronic venous oedema could be associated with the lymphatic vasculature hypoplasia and the malfunction of the groin lymph nodes.