Background: Although pregnancy has been identified as one of the risk factors for venous disease, the mechanism of this interaction remains unclear. Possibly, pregnancy results in overstrain and vein dilatation, which exceed their durability and persist after pregnancy. The aim of this study was the assessment of the relationship between the number of pregnancies in women with venous disease and the selected parameters of their venous systems. Patients and methods: The retrospective assessment concerned 518 patients subjected to the diagnostics of the venous system in the lower limbs and the abdomen/pelvis using ultrasound scan and magnetic resonance or computed tomography. Results: We found that the occurrence of pelvic venous symptoms increases proportionally to the number of pregnancies and is correlated with ovarian and parauterine vein dilatation/incompetence (e.g., 13.5%of nulliparous women reported pelvic pain, and reflux in left ovarian veins was detected in 21.4% of the patients from that group, whereas in women after two pregnancies, pain and reflux concerned 22.8% and 90.6% of patients, respectively). In the nulliparous group, the development of venous disease resulted from the presence of anatomic abnormalities in abdominal/pelvic veins. Conclusions: Our report proved that the number of pregnancies is correlated with the incidence of pelvic vein insufficiency. Although not specifically addressed in this study, some correlation was found with saphenous disease as well. However, further studies are necessary to provide more evidence about the role of pelvic vein insufficiency in chronic venous disease of the lower limbs.
Ovarian veins system insufficiency is one of the most common reasons for pelvic venous insufficiency (PVI). PVI is a hemodynamic phenomenon responsible for the occurrence of venous insufficiency of the lower extremities and recurrent varicose veins in nulliparous and parous women, as well as for a set of symptoms described as pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS). In the years 2017–2019, 535 patients admitted to our center with symptoms of venous insufficiency of the lower extremities, underwent complete ultrasound diagnostics (color-duplex ultrasound) of the venous system of the abdomen, pelvis and lower limbs, as well as extended imaging diagnostics using computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) venography. On the basis of the obtained results, the authors proposed a 4-grade hemodynamic and radiological classification (grades I-IV) defining the stratification of ovarian veins insufficiency. Using the above mentioned classification approx. 32% patients were identified as Grade I and I/II, approximately 35% revealed morphological and hemodynamic changes corresponding to Grade II and II/III, approximately 25% were classified as Grade III, whereas the remaining 8% were assessed as Grade IV. The described classification allows for the grading of ovarian veins insufficiency based on transparent radiological criteria, making it easy to use in everyday clinical practice. According to the authors, the proposed classification could facilitate communication between diagnostic physicians, specialists dealing with the treatment of venous insufficiency and gynecologists, who admit patients with symptoms suggesting venous insufficiency of the pelvis.
Introduction: The current treatment of venous disease is focused on reflux elimination in main venous trunks, especially in the saphenous vein. However, a high recurrence rate, independent of the method of treatment, suggests that the reason of low effectiveness may be due to a strategy focused on symptoms, without considering their origin. Method: The aim of study was the comparison of retrospective data from 535 women with venous disease, either after treatment (n = 183) or not treated before (n = 352). The analysis concerned clinical symptoms and the results of the extended diagnostics, including the examination of the lower limb, pelvic and abdominal veins either using duplex-doppler ultrasound as well as venography with computed tomography or magnetic resonance. Results: The comparison of selected venous system parameters revealed more advanced disease progression in previously treated patients, compared to non-treated individuals (e.g., ipsi- or bilateral incompetence of sapheno-phemoral junction—29.5% vs. 20.4%, at P < 0.05 and 13.6% vs. 7.7% at P < 0.05, respectively). This difference could be explained by post-treatment alterations in the venous system, an older age and the higher number of pregnancies in the recurrence group. However, both groups did not differ in regards to the symptoms of pelvic venous insufficiency or the frequency of relevant variants/abnormalities in venous system. Conclusions: Based on the aforementioned findings, we postulate the revision of treatment strategy, which should consider abdominal and pelvic veins as the source of reflux in many female subjects.
The results of our study raise the question of the heart's role in the mechanism of migraine attacks. If the occurrence of migraine with aura had been related to some heart abnormalities, the pathophysiology of migraine attacks may have some connection to some heart dysfunction. Resolving the association between migraine and comorbid cardiac conditions might shed light on the underlying mechanisms of migraines and even result in a different treatment strategy. However, we do not find any clear connection between PFP, ASA, and MVP, and migraine occurrence.
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