Venous Insufficiency

Basics

Inadequacy of the venous valves that causes impaired venous drainage leading to edema of the lower extremities
A chronic condition of lower-extremity vascular incompetence
Normal blood flow in the venous system is unidirectional from the superficial veins to the deep veins
Contraction of leg musculature and competent venous valvular function maintain this unidirectional flow
Damage to the valves, e.g., following DVT, causes them to become rigid and they lose their ability to prevent retrograde blood flow properly
Decreased venous return from lower extremities causes increased pressure and distention of the veins, which in turn causes separation of the valve leaflets
Lower-extremity venous valvular incompetence leads to chronic venous insufficiency and venous varicosities
Inadequacy of the venous valvular function causes impaired venous drainage, leading to lower-extremity edema
Chronic venous insufficiency and resultant increased venous pressure transmission into the dermal microcirculation leads to extravasation of macromolecules and red blood cells causing inflammatory injury, resulting in skin integrity changes, ulcer formation, and poor healing

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