The Usefulness of Preoperative Doppler Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Saphenofemoral Complex for Improving Lower Limb Varicose Veins Surgery

The aim of the study was to determine whether detailed preoperative Doppler ultrasonographic examination of saphenofemoral complex can improve the results of the lower limb varicose veins surgery. Two groups of patients (30 people each) were operated due to lower limbs primary varicose veins caused by saphenous vein insufficiency. All patients had a routine duplex examination performed. Group B had additional ultrasound examination before the operation to evaluate the number, diameter, and localization of the tributary vessels in the area of saphenofemoral junction. 30 days after the operation, in both groups control duplex examination was performed to evaluate the sparingness of the surgical procedure. The control ultrasonography showed 8 and 2 tributary vessels overlooked in groups A and B, respectively. The differences were statistically significant. The conformity of the preoperative ultrasound and the scene found during the operation in group B was 83.3%. The chance of overlooking peripheral vessels in group A increased 5.1 times. Preoperative Doppler ultrasound estimates localization of tributary vessels within the saphenofemoral junction, which makes detecting vessels during the operation much easier. It allows to minimize the number of technical mistakes and improve the lower limb varicose veins surgery results.