13. What is venous flare? What causes it?
Correct answer: The clusters of small dilated venules that occur subcutaneously as a result of hormonal change, pregnancy or trauma.
12. What is the definition of a varicose vein?
Correct answer: Varicose veins are abnormally dilated and lengthened superficial veins. They should be distinguished from prominent normal veins, which are most obvious over muscular calves of an athlete, and venous flare, the clusters of small dilated venules that occur…
11. Which venous vessels have no valves?
Correct answer: There are no valves in the vena cava, and none in the common iliac vein.
10. What happens when a venous valve becomes incompetent?
Correct answer: When valves are incompetent there is greater resistance to return flow (the functional obstruction). One incompetent valve will put extra pressure on the next and will tend to make this incompetent; so once defects have arisen there is…
9. What causes venous valves to become incompetent?
Correct answer: This haemodynamic disturbance is due either to a physical obstruction such as a thrombosis or to a functional obstruction leading to high pressure, as occurs when valves are incompetent or rarely when an arteriovenous fistula exists.
8. What is the calf pump?
Correct answer: All the major leg veins have valves that prevent blood flowing away from the heart. As the calf muscles contract, the deep veins within them are squeezed and emptied, the blood passing upwards, directed towards the heart by…
7. What is the name of the perforator found at mid-thigh level?
Correct answer: The hunterian perforator on account of its relationship to Hunter’s canal.
6. What are the perforating veins of the lower limb?
Correct answer: Besides the saphenofemoral and saphenopopliteal junctions, there are additional communications between superficial and deep veins with valves allowing blood in the superficial system to pass into the deep system, and preventing blood flowing out from the deep to…
4. What does the great saphenous vein drain?
Correct answer: This is medially placed; it drains the dorsum of the foot and joins the femoral vein at the saphenofemoral junction in the groin.
3. What is the superficial venous system of the lower limb?
Correct answer: This comprises the medially placed great (long) saphenous vein, draining from the dorsum of the foot to the saphenofemoral junction in the groin, and the small (short) saphenous vein, which drains the lateral aspect of the lower limb…
