Lower Limb Deep Venous Incompetence is Rare in Patients Undergoing Obesity Surgery

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the incidence of lower limb venous insufficiency in morbidly obese patients.

Patients and methods:

The study group comprised 125 patients (109 women, 16 men). The median (range) age and body mass index were 35 (19–59) years and 42 (32–68) kg/m² respectively. Eleven patients had clinical signs of varicose veins or had previously undergone varicose vein surgery. Patients were investigated with duplex ultrasound scanning on the day before surgery. Iliac, femoral, popliteal, and long and short saphenous veins in both legs were studied.

Results:

A total of 33 patients had abnormal reflux in the superficial veins (>0.5 s). In the deep veins 2 patients had valvular incompetence in the common femoral vein with reflux times of 2 and 0.7 s respectively. At reinvestigation 18 and 24 months after surgery the reflux times were normalised.

Conclusion:

In this study the incidence of deep venous incompetence in the lower limb in morbidly obese patients is low.