What is Superficial Thrombophlebitits ?
Superficial thrombophlebitis or superficial vein thrombosis with phlebitis is a condition where superficial veins thrombose or clot and cause inflammation and i nduration of the overlying skin and erythema (redness) and palpable warmth over the course of the vein. Once the phlebitis is treated with anti-inflammatory medications, the vein should be removed using microphlebectomy technique to avoid trophic changes and hyperpigmentation of the overlying skin. Often, the redness resolves and hyperpigmentation is the residual effect with continued aching overlying the chronically inflamed cord of thrombosed varicose vein (chronic phlebitis or thrombophlebitis).
Very rarely, microphlebectomy is performed to treat large varicose veins with thrombophlebitis which have not responded to conservative treatment with non steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and/or Phlebitis PAK.
Video of superficial thrombophlebitis of the great saphenous vein by Dr Karamanoukian