[Calcified and ossified phlebosclerosis]

Eight cases of dystrophic calcification and/or ossification within the walls of deep and superficial leg veins were analyzed and histologically examined. Calcification of superficial veins is a frequent clinical finding. Calcification of deep veins is occasionally observed. Ossification of the venous wall, however, has been rarely described. Calcification and ossification of the venous wall always concern the intimal layer or an organized thrombus and do not involve the media. This is in contrast to the findings in arteries where calcification and ossification of the media is frequent (Mönckeberg's mediasclerosis). The clinical consequences of calcification and ossification in the venous wall are briefly discussed.