The British journal of surgery
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Venous insufficiency is a widespread condition, the prevalence of venous ulceration being 0.5-1.0 per cent in Western populations. A principal abnormality causing venous insufficiency is deep venous reflux, usually resulting from post-thrombotic valve destruction. ⋯ Although treatment for superficial and communicating vein incompetence is available, correction of deep vein reflux has been neglected until recently. Deep vein valve physiology, the selection of patients for deep vein valve surgery and methods of valve repair and replacement are reviewed.
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Among 18,403 male civil servants examined at age 40-64 years there were 99 deaths attributed to aortic aneurysm during 18 years of follow-up. Each case was matched by age to ten controls who survived longer than the case. ⋯ The independent effects of height, adiposity, plasma cholesterol, glucose intolerance, reported angina and intermittent claudication were not significant. Hypertension and smoking, particularly of hand-rolled cigarettes, are confirmed as major and potentially remediable risk factors for fatal aortic aneurysm.