Question

Mrs. gray, a 50-year-old mother of seven children, is complaining of dull, aching pains in her legs. she reports that the pain has been getting progressively worse since the birth of her last child. during her physical examination, numerous varicosities are seen in both legs. what pathologic changes have occurred in these veins?

Answer 1

The answer is; Varicosities are recognized by the enlargement of the veins. Superficial veins are most likely involved because they have little support from surrounding tissues. The veins have become tortuous and dilated because of incompetent valves that allow the blood to pool, stretching the vein walls. The likely cause in this patient's case is her pregnancies, because the enlarged uterus exerts download pressure on groin vessels, restricting return blood flow to the heart.