The new understanding of how venous leg ulcers occur

Inflammation and venous hypertension caused by deep venous reflux - the old (and incorrect) understanding of leg ulcers explained by Mark Whiteley

Duplex Ultrasound allowed researchers to look into veins as they worked - allowing us for the first time to see what really was happening.

The results were startling.

It was found that:

- Approx 40% of venous ulcers were due to DEEP VEIN FAILURE (picture on LEFT)

- Approx 60% of venous ulcer were due to SUPERFICAL VEIN VALVE FAILURE (picture on RIGHT).

Although it is true that we still have no easy way of treating DEEP valve failure, the SUPERFICIAL valve failure is now treated very well by specialist vein surgeons, using the new techniques that we have developed for varicose vein surgery (see www.veins.co.uk).

There is a complicating factor in that there is also a third system called the "PERFORATING VEINS". However, these veins can be treated by techniques such as SEPS or TRLOP.

The former of these, SEPS was invented in 1985 and we are currently researching the use of these in the Whiteley Clinic. The second, TRLOP, was invented by Mark Whiteley in December 2000 and was first presented to the Medical Community in Rome in September 2001.

These techniques are part of our routine in operation on patients and as such we can include such patients in the SUPERFICIAL vein valve failure group.

Diagram explaining how failure of valves in the superficial veins (superficial venous reflux) can cause venous eczema and leg ulcers - by Mark Whiteley