What is a venous malformation?

A venous malformation is a flaw in the construction of a vein. Regular veins carry the blood that flows away from tissues and organs. Veins with built-in defects fail to perform this task. A venous malformation may resemble a blueish translucent jumble of vessels, sometimes varicose veins.

Complaints caused by venous malformations

The complaints that venous malformations may engender vary widely. Some people experience only very few symptoms. Depending upon size and location, venous malformations could give rise to the following complaints:

  • a heavy, bloated feeling;
  • pain from ulceration (festering)
  • pain in spasmodic pulses

Treatment of venous malformations

Wearing a bandage or support stocking (tubigrip) often leads to a reduction of complaints. Sometimes these defects can be treated by injecting a fluid that glues the vascular walls together on the inside. This is an outpatient clinical procedure that is also quite common when dealing with varicose veins. Other treatment options are injecting alcohol (under anaesthetic) or surgery. With each patient, following extensive examination, we determine what is the best treatment. In some cases the visible malformation is only ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

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