Lower limb temperature gradients in primary varicose veins before and after stripping

ABSTRACT

Thirty patients with uncomplicated primary varicose veins of the lower limbs, and the same number of age-matched persons as controls, formed the material of the study. YST tele-thermometer have been used to measure skin temperature in all limbs before and after stripping. A special pattern of cutaneous hyperthermia in primary varicose veins was found depending on the anatomical distribution and communications of the varices. A significant return to normal pattern of skin temperature in the diseased group was found after stripping. This simple, cheap and noninvasive method can show the distribution of clinically occult varices, especially in obese legs which then can be attacked during surgery to avoid recurrence of varices