Background: Insufficiency of the greater saphenous vein starts at its junction with the femoral vein, so that the histomorphologic changes at the saphenofemoral junction are of special interest.
Method: In this study we examined which histologic changes occur in the vein walls 5 cm distal to the junction of the greater saphenous vein into the femoral vein and whether these changes correlate to the clinical severity of venous disease. For this the morphologic changes of 28 venous specimens were described qualitatively and the two layers of the media were measured at their thickest and thinnest points.
Results: The three-layered structure of the vessel wall with intima, media and adventitia was destroyed in 21% of the cases, the intima and media were fused into one another due to loss of the membrana elastica interna. In 93% the intima was thickened at circumscribed areas. Sprouting of capillaries into the intima was found only if varicosis lasted for longer than 15 years. Aneurysms were found in 29% of the specimen. In part of severe aneurysms the media was completely missing. The thickness of the circular muscle layer of the media varied more than that of the longitudinal muscle layer (difference between minimal and maximal thickness 400 +/- 130 microM compared to 190 +/- 90 microM). With increasing clinical severity of the chronic venous insufficiency the difference between minimal and maximal thickness of the circular muscle layer increased (330 +/- 90 microM at stage I according to Widmer, 490 +/- 130 at stage III).
Conclusion: The coexistence of muscular hypertrophy and atrophy in varicose veins is regarded by us as a reaction to altered perfusion and pressure in the veins. Considering the frequently severe damage to the veins, indication for a vein sparing therapy has to be viewed with care.