Venous ulceration and continuous flow in the long saphenous vein

Objective: to determine the clinical significance of continuous flow in the long saphenous vein in limbs with venous ulceration. Design: retrospective review. Patients and methods: review of 1608 consecutive limbs undergoing colour du plex scanning for venous disease over a 43 month period. Results: continuous flow in the long saphenous vein is seen in 8% of limbs with venous ulceration and in 37% of limbs with deep venous obstruction. Si xty-six per cent of ulcerated limbs with continuous flow in the long saphen ous vein had deep venous obstruction, 27% had deep venous reflux with cellu litis and 7% had lymphoedema in addition to venous ulceration. Conclusion: continuous flow in the long saphenous vein in patients with ven ous ulceration should alert the clinician to the possibility of deep venous obstruction. Such limbs should be treated by compression bandaging with ex treme caution.