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The Dutch Guideline on Venous disease was lacking a section on recurrent varicose veins. The newly issued supplement on recurrent varicose veins fills this gap and provides clinicians with solutions concerning the management of patients with recurrent varicose veins following earlier treatment. Because venous disease is nowadays considered to be an ongoing disease, patients with this disorder will often require life-long care and different treatment than patients who have never been treated before.

- The Dutch guideline on 'Venous disease' comprises four parts: two revised guidelines ('Varicose veins' and 'Venous leg ulcer') and two new guidelines ('Deep venous disease' and 'Compression therapy').- These guidelines were drawn up by a working party made up of representatives from the Dutch Association of Surgeons, the Dutch Society of Vascular Surgery and the Dutch Society of Dermatology and Venereology.- We will discuss the most important parts of the guideline here.

Despite optimal treatment of acute deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) there is a great chance of recurrent DVT and development of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in the long term. The degree of spontaneous recanalization differs per patient and per thrombus location. 90% of all femoropopliteal occlusions will fully recanalize within 1 year; however, in the case of an iliofemoral thrombosis, recanalization occurs only in a minority of cases. Post-thrombotic complications occur more often following iliofemoral thrombosis, and the chance of recurrent thrombosis is greater than following thrombosis in a more distal location. An anatomical variation or abnormality also more often underlies an iliofemoral thrombosis. It is important to identify patients with a greater chance of developing PTS promptly and to treat them in order to prevent post-thrombotic damage. There are still insufficient trial data available to implement catheter-directed thrombolysis as standard therapy for iliofemoral thrombosis

The Dutch guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of varicose veins recommends that the 'C' from the North American Venous Forum classification CEAP ('C' = clinical, 'E' = aetiological, 'A' = anatomical, and 'P' = pathophysiological classification ) be recorded in the clinical case notes and that traditional tests as described by Trendelenburg and Perthes be omitted as they are of no use in patients with C2 and C3 varicose veins. In primary C1, C2 and C3 varicose veins that have not previously been treated, a handheld Doppler may be used to exclude reflux. If reflux is found or if in doubt, duplex investigation is necessary. Before any invasive treatment of C2 or C3 varicose veins is scheduled, duplex investigation of the superficial and deep systems is mandatory. In C2 and C3 varicose veins functional investigations such as plethysmography and intravenous pressure measurement are superfluous. With respect to treatment of an insufficient greater saphenous vein, stripping from knee to groin with side branch interruption in the groin is the gold standard in the treatment of C2 and C3 varicose veins. Endovenous techniques such as radio frequency ablation or laser are comparable with the classical stripping method in the treatment of C2 and C3 varicose veins. Insufficient perforating C2 or C3 veins in these patients need no specific treatment. Prior to surgery the entrance level of the lesser saphenous vein into the popliteal vein should be marked with the patient lying in supine position and with the aid of duplex. For patients with side-branches hook needle extraction through mini- incisions is the treatment of choice.

A 67-year-old male presented with abdominal pain followed by respiratory distress. Imaging revealed a right-sided Bochdalek's hernia. At thoracotomy two days later, an incarcerated small bowel segment was removed, with a protracted post-operative course. In adults, a Bochdalek's hernia is rare and usually asymptomatic. However, when symptoms do occur, incarceration of the intestinal contents is frequent and accompanied by high mortality. The severely protracted course after delayed treatment of a symptomatic Bochdalek's hernia described here illustrates the importance of early recognition and surgical intervention.

Incompetent communicating or perforating veins are often responsible for recurrent varicose veins with skin changes at the lower leg, especially in the postthrombotic syndrome. Subcutaneous and subfascial surgical explorations carry a 35% complication rate. We used a new endoscopic technique to locate and ligate communicating veins with the objective to decrease this complication rate. Through a short skin incision on the anteromedial side of the proximal 1/3 of the lower leg the fascia is incised over 2 cm and the subfascial space opened by finger dissection. A mediastinoscope (length 18 cm; diameter 12 mm) is inserted and pushed down beneath the fascia to the level of the malleolus. Under direct vision the communicating veins crossing this space are located and ligated with haemoclips. In 48 patients, 15 male and 33 female, with a mean age of 53 (22-73) years, 54 legs were treated: 40 legs showed recurrent varicose veins, due to incompetent communicating veins with severe skin changes and ulcers, and 14 had primary varicosis. All patients complained of fatigue and pain. In 49 legs (44 patients) relief of preoperative complaints was obtained and in 5 (4 patients) there was no change. Two indurated wounds and 1 dehiscent wound were treated conservatively. One patient, operated on both legs, developed a severe subfascial infection on both sides necessitating a reintervention. The advantages of the subfascial endoscopic technique, a fast operative procedure, fewer postoperative wound infections (9.3%), a good cosmetic effect, and a low (2.5% after 3.8 years) recurrent ulcer rate make it a valuable new method for treating incompetent communicating veins.