Overview of Venous Disorders
Venous disorders are among the most prevalent medical conditions in the Western world. Understanding of the nominal venous anatomy and normal venous hemodynamics is the first and fundamental step in understanding pathophysiology of various venous disorders. Venous disorders can be divided into acute and chronic. Acute venous disorders are entirely thrombotic. Examples are superficial thrombophlebitis, acute deep venous thrombosis, acute axillarysubclavian venous thrombosis, and portal vein system thrombosis. Chronic venous disorders are dominated by reflux through incompetent valves. It is thought that the development of all the clinical manifestations of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) can be ascribed to a blood flow-driven inflammatory process. All the clinical manifestations of primary and secondary CVI may be conducted by this basic pathogenic mechanism. Thermal and chemical ablations for axial reflux have almost completely replaced high ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein and short saphenous vein. In patients with postthrombotic syndrome, iliac vein recanalization, angioplasty, and stenting have been shown to aid time to ulcer healing. Novel therapeutic strategies for lower extremity acute vein thrombosis, such as catheter-directed thrombolysis, may be associated with a reduction of postthrombotic syndrome risk.
