Recurrence of varicose veins following surgery is a common, complex and costly problem in vascular surgery. Despite improvements in preoperative evaluation and methods of treatment, recurrence following varicose vein surgery is reported to occur in between 20 and 80% of cases. Many theories have been put forward concerning the underlying mechanisms and causes. These include poor understanding of the venous anatomy and haemodynamics, inadequate preoperative assessment, inappropriate or incomplete surgery and development of new sites of venous reflux as a consequence of disease progression or neovascularisation. However, it is difficult to evaluate these suggestions since the studies from which they arise vary greatly in their definitions of recurrence, preoperative assessment, initial treatment, classification and method and duration of follow-up.
Number of patients and causes and patterns of recurrent varicose veins in the lower limbs in patients with history of varicose veins stripping or ablation of the superficial venous system.