[Chronic venous insufficiency--from pathophysiology to therapy. 1: Pathophysiology--compression treatment--systemic pharmacotherapy].

At the core of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is valvular incompetence affecting the large veins, which results in ambulatory venous hypertension. Recent research has revealed the pathophysiological stages involved: damage to the endothelium of the vein, leukocyte trapping and, finally, inflammatory reconstruction of the vessel wall. Lymphangiopathy involving the small and large lymph vessels is always present. One of the measures capable of influencing elevated venous pressure is compression therapy, which is discussed in detail in the present article. Drug treatment is a rational supplement to curative therapeutic approaches to chronic venous insufficiency that in mild-to-moderate cases, can result in an alleviation of symptoms similar to that achieved with compression therapy.