The influence of age on valve disease in patients with varicose veins analysed by transmission electron microscopy and stereology.

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of age on the ultrastructure of venous valve morphology in patients with C2 classified chronic venous disorders according to the CEAP classification.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study population consisted of 16 consecutive patients with varicose veins (C2). The mean age was 49.8 years (30-66). The (pre-) terminal valve including the vessel wall was harvested within the proximal 2 centimetres of the great saphenous vein. The mean thickness (volume-to-surface ratio = V/S ratio) of elastin, collagen, endothelium and of the entire valve was determined. A blinded morphologist performed the examination by transmission electron microscopy and stereology. Analyses by Pearson's product moment correlation, Kendall's tau and Spearman's rank correlation were performed to investigate whether there is a correlation between age and the ultrastructural morphology.

RESULTS

Stereological analysis of the valves demonstrated a mean V/S ratio (signifying a thickness estimation) for elastin of 0.87 μm/μm, for collagen of 18.0 μm/μm, for endothelium of 0.65 μm/μm, and for the entire valve of 25.2 μm³/μm². Statistical analyses showed no statistically significant correlation between age and the ultrastructural morphology in this patient group.

CONCLUSIONS

The ultrastructural morphology of the venous valves in chronic venous disorders may not depend on age in patients presenting with C2 disease. This conclusion may or may not apply to all C classes as we investigated a homogenous group of patients with C2 limbs.