Primary Varicose Veins in the Presence of an Intact Sapheno-Femoral Junction

Abstract

Objective: To determine the incidence of primary varicose veins (VVs) occurring in the presence of a competent sapheno-femoral junction. Methods: A retrospective analysis of venous duplex scans was performed for all patients referred to the Vascular Unit, The Middlesex Hospital, London, for assessment of primary VVs, over an 18 month period from 1998 to 2000. Results: One thousand nine hundred and eleven patients with primary VVs referred to hospital for treatment were assessed. Their median age was 52 years (interquartile range 39–64 years). The female:male ratio was 1.92:1. Of these, 43.5% had primary VVs in the presence of a competent sapheno-femoral junction (of whom 70.2% were female). Of those patients with primary VVs in the presence of an incompetent sapheno-femoral junction, 62.4% were female. The incidence of primary VVs did not increase overall with age. The peak incidence for women was between 31 and 60 years of age, whilst that for men was between 51 and 70 years. A similar pattern for age distribution was seen irrespective of sapheno-femoral junction status. Men had a reduced incidence of primary VVs in the presence of an intact sapheno-femoral junction compared with incompetent junctions over the age range of 31–60 years. Conclusions: Primary VVs can readily develop in the presence of a competent sapheno-femoral junction. This occurs most frequently in women below the age of 50 years.