[Complications of superficial venous surgery of the legs: thigh hematomas and abscess].

A series of 1,000 patients has been studied. I. HEMATOMAE: They are nearly continuous during internal saphena stripping but depend on various parameters. 1) Anatomical: a) Varicose veins topography. Perforating veins. Perforating veins of the thigh cause haemorrhage but reactions of venous construction are quite important and precocious not to observe subcutaneous bleedings. More or less "soft" stripping creates a reaction of reflex vasoconstriction. Fore saphenous vein of the thigh Hematomae are more and more numerous and important because the fore saphenous vein is a vein whose wall is thinner, more fragile and almost more superficial. b) Type of patient. In an obese patient, hematoma seems to be more spectacular. In the thin patient, it appears faster, if hematic expression is too late. 2) Stripping techniques: It is possible to propose different techniques of stripping, but none of them can lower specifically post-surgical hematomae. 3) Anaesthesiae: a) General anaesthesia. A bilateral surgery under general anaesthesia was helpful to observe in some cases a less important hematoma at the level of the second operated leg. b) Rachi-anaesthesia. Physiological vasoconstriction requires a latent period for this kind of anaethesia which causes a vasomotor paralysis due to a blockade of the sympathetic nerve. c) Local anaesthesia. It is obtained by crural block in association with injection of Xylocaine Adrenalina at the level of perforating veins of the thigh. This technique causes less hematomae. II. ABSCESSES: Only 4 cases out of 1,000 operated legs have been reported. No related pathology have been observed particularly about lymphatic disorders (erysipelas or lymphoedema), no previous infection known which could not have explained such complications. Therapy was simple: incision at mid-thigh and draining by lamina. The patient recovered within two weeks.