The Extrinsic Inguinal Venous Compression Syndrome: Case Reports

Seven cases of extrinsic inguinal venous compression syndrome were seen at the University Hospital of Zurich over the past fifteen years. The syndrome can be subdi vided into nontraumatic and posttraumatic compression, both producing the severe clinical picture of venous stasis of the entire lower extremity. In all patients, however, no deep venous thrombosis was observed despite high-grade stenosis of the common femoral vein. Proper diagnosis must be done in all cases of swelling of a lower limb to rule out extrinsic inguinal venous compression. Blind anticoagulation therapy might even be hazardous, whereas exact diagnosis with mostly surgical decompression provides good results regarding patency and thrombosis rate.