A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF LONG SAPHENOUS-VEIN MORPHOLOGY IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING ARTERIAL-SURGERY

Objective: To quantify the incidence and extent of structural changes present in the long saphenous vein of patients with arterial disease. Design: Observational study of sephenous vein morphology. Setting: Dep artments of Surgery and Pathology, Leicester Royal Infirmary. Patients : Sixty vein biopsies from patients undergoing arterial surgery. Main outcome measures: Intimal and medial thickness and morphology. Results : Smooth muscle cell hyperplasia, elastosis and fibrosis contributed t o intimal thickening (> 10 mu m) in 87% of veins. This was frequently associated with medial longitudinal muscle hypertrophy. Intimal thickn ess had a skewed distribution with a median (range) of 33 (8-381) mu m . The upper limit of the normal range was 200 mu m. The median (range) medial thickness was 293 (131-468) mu m. Conclusions: Intimal thicken ing is common in the long saphenous vein of patients undergoing arteri al surgery but is extensive in only a small proportion. The upper limi t of the normal range was 200 mu m.