Evaluation of apoptosis in varicose vein disease complicated by superficial vein thrombosis.

Background: The factors contributing to superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) in patients with varicose vein disease are unclear. Differences in vein wall apoptotic activity could be associated with the pathogenesis of SVT. The aim of the study is to address the role of the programmed cell death in the vein wall by comparing varicose veins with history of SVT to uncomplicated varicose veins. Patients and methods: Vein segments from the proximal part of the great saphenous vein (GSV), the distal part of the vein and from a varicose tributary, from 16 patients with varicose vein disease and one episode of SVT, were evaluated for the immunohistochemical expression of pro-apoptotic (Bax, p53, Caspase 3, BCL-6, BCL-xs), anti-apoptotic (BCL-xl and BCL-2) and proliferation (Ki-67) markers. The results of this study were compared to the results from the evaluation of 19 patients suffering from uncomplicated varicose vein disease and 10 healthy GSVs as controls. Results: Overall, there was increased apoptosis in the d...