[Surgery in postphlebitic disease. Apropos of 157 surgical interventions]

Surgery occupies only a restricted position in post-phlebitic illness. The authors analyse 157 surgical operations carried out on 138 patients between 1969 and 1983. A detailed report is always given pre-operatively as a matter of course by Functional examination and phlebography, in order to locate the predominant physiopathological disorder or disorders: superficial venous deficiency--reflux via the perforators--the obliteration syndrome or devalvulation syndrome of the deep venous system. After a short listing of the surgical methods, the results of these different operations are analysed. They are hard to assess. Where there is a relapsing ulcer, surgery of the perforators produces 70 percent good results. The therapeutic indications are discussed, finally, on the basis of recently published series and the authors' experience.