Blood Flow Analysis of the Great Saphenous Vein in the Su-Pine Position in Clinical Manifestations of Varicose Veins of Different Severities: Application of Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data

Yuan-Hsi Tseng; Chien-Wei Chen; Min-Yi Wong; Teng-Yao Yang; Yu-Hui Lin; Bor-Shyh Lin; Yao-Kuang Huang

doi:10.3390/diagnostics12010118

Blood Flow Analysis of the Great Saphenous Vein in the Su-Pine Position in Clinical Manifestations of Varicose Veins of Different Severities: Application of Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data

Diagnostics (Basel). 2022 Jan 5;12(1):118. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12010118.

Authors

Yuan-Hsi Tseng¹, Chien-Wei Chen^{2

3}, Min-Yi Wong^{1

4}, Teng-Yao Yang⁵, Yu-Hui Lin¹, Bor-Shyh Lin⁴, Yao-Kuang Huang¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chia-Yi and Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
² Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chia-Yi and Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
³ Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 408, Taiwan.
⁴ Institute of Imaging and Biomedical Photonics, National Chiao Tung University, Tainan 300, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Cardiology, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chia-Yi and Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.

Abstract

The progression of clinical manifestations of lower-limb varicose veins remains unclear. This study investigated changes in lower-limb venous blood flow using phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography. Data were collected on veins from 141 legs. We compared legs with and without varicose veins and related symptoms and examined varying levels of varicose vein symptom severity. Legs without varicose veins exhibited a lower absolute stroke volume (ASV, p < 0.01) and mean flux (MF, p = 0.03) for the great saphenous vein (GSV) compared with legs with symptomatic varicose veins. Legs with asymptomatic varicose veins exhibited lower MF for the GSV (p = 0.02) compared with legs with symptomatic varicose veins. Among legs with varicose veins, asymptomatic legs exhibited lower ASV (p = 0.03) and MF (p = 0.046) for the GSV compared with legs that exhibited skin changes or ulcers; however, no significant differences were observed between legs presenting with discomfort or edema and legs with skin changes or ulcers, and between legs presenting with discomfort or edema and asymptomatic legs. In conclusion, in the supine position, increased blood flow rate and blood flow volume in the GSV were associated with symptomatic varicose veins and increased symptom severity.

Keywords: great saphenous vein; magnetic resonance imaging; magnetic resonance venography; non-contrast venography; phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging; quantitative flow; varicose vein.