The fibrinolytic activity of the venous wall was investigated by using Todd's technique 1 in 92 patients with different types of varicosis.
A control group consisted of 19 patients with apparently normal superficial veins who had had a saphenectomy prior to an aortocoronary bypass operation. Fibrinolytic activity was mainly localized in the adventitia of varicose and nor mal veins. It significantly decreased in the distal regions of all types of varicosis. The highest fibrinolytic activity was detected in the proximal part of the vari cose vena saphena magna and the lowest values were observed in the perforat ing and side branch veins of the calf. Fibrinolytic activity is higher (p < 0.077) in the normal vena saphena magna than in the varicose vena saphena of the calf. Older patients show a loss of fibrinolytic activity in their vena saphena magna. Obese patients have less fibrinolytic activity in varicose calf veins than patients with normal weight do.
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