Context: Previous studies have demonstrated improvement of venous hemodynamics after surgical treatment of primary varicose veins of the lower extremities using air plethysmography (APG).
Purpose: To correlate the venous hemodynamics obtained by APG with the CEAP classification after surgical treatment of primary varicose veins.
Methods: We studied 63 limbs of 39 patients (35 women and 4 men) aged on average 46.3 years, operated upon at the University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, during the period from January 2001 to December 2004. The 63 limbs were divided into the three following groups according to CEAP classification: group C2 + C3 (38 limbs), group C4 (15 limbs) and group C5 + C6 (10 limbs). The patients were evaluated clinically before and 30 to 40 days after surgery by preoperative duplex ultrasonography and pre- and postoperative APG.
Results: There was an apparent hemodynamic improvement after surgical treatment of the varicose veins in the two groups of lower severity, but the improvement was significant in the most severe group based on venous filling index.
Conclusion: Surgical treatment was beneficial for all three groups, but the greatest hemodynamic gain was observed in the group of highest clinical severity (group C5 + C6).