Having a Vascular Malformation: Irene's Story

Irene is a 46 year old woman who had been bothered by "big veins" in her right hand since she became pregnant with her first child at age 25. At that time she showed her family doctor the enlarged vein on her little finger. He believed it to be a small abscess and opened it in his office to drain it. Unfortunately, it bled a lot and she had to be taken to the emergency room for stitches.

Irene continued to observe her hand which stayed about the same, until her third pregnancy when the veins became even larger. They now extended across the top of her hand, all around her little finger and back to the wrist. A general surgeon operated on the palm side of her hand, tying off some veins, but that didn't seem to help. She later saw a vascular specialist who recommended a dye study (arteriogram). Based on that information, Irene had the veins clotted off or embolized with a special solution. The solution caused some irritation of the veins and left a blue area on the tip of her little finger for about 2 weeks. This all cleared and the veins essentially "disappeared."

It has now been two years since the procedure. Her "big veins" are still essentially gone. She is pleased with the appearance and with the fact her hand is not tender if she bumps it.

Comment: Enlarged (varicose) veins appearing in an unusual location may be the result of an obstruction in the venous system but may also indicate a vascular malformation, most commonly an abnormal communication between the arteries and veins which transmits high pressure into the veins, enlarging them. In the above case, the latter was diagnosed and treated by blocking the communications (clotting them off) by injecting a special solution which destroys the lining of the communicating vessels and clots them off.