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Int J Angiol 2002; 11(4): 245-247
DOI: 10.1007/s00547-002-0910-1
Original Articles

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Pulmonary embolism after stripping of varicose veins

Kazuhito Nagasaki, Kenji Matsumoto, Munehisa Kaneda, Tsunehiro Shintani, Shintaro Shibutani, Takaya Murayama, Masaki Kitajima
  • Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Publication History

Publication Date:
25 April 2011 (online)

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Abstract

During a 5-year period in our institution, two cases of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) developed postoperatively in a series of 330 patients who underwent varicose vein stripping of the long saphenous vein (an incidence rate of 0.6%). In both patients, a standard surgical procedure was used. A few days after the procedure, chest pain and hypoxia developed. Pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy showed multiple embolisms in both lungs. Anticoagulant and thrombolytic therapy was administered, and the patients recovered completely. Although PE is a rare complication of stripping operations for varicose veins, it is a serious complication that can be fatal.