You must have often seen that some people have large worm-like bulging blue veins on their abdomen; take them seriously.
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You must have often seen that some people have large worm-like bulging blue veins on one side of their abdomen or both sides. Whether these cluster-like raised blue veins are on the abdomen or on any part of the body, do not consider them normal but take them seriously, otherwise you may have to suffer the consequences due to negligence. These raised blue veins appearing on the skin in an abnormal manner indicate various diseases developing inside the body. Therefore, take the protruding blue veins on any part of the body seriously and immediately consult a vascular and cardio vascular surgeon.
Why do these raised veins appear on your body?
These raised blue veins are a network of veins located on the superficial surface of the body, which under normal circumstances do not bulge much on the skin and are connected to the system of large deep veins located inside the body. The network of veins located on the superficial surface collects impure blood from the outer surface and sends it to the system of large veins located deep inside the body, from where all the impure blood is collected and reaches the lungs for purification via the heart. If due to some reason, there is a blockage in the system of deep veins inside the body, then it is unable to accept the blood coming from the outer surface, due to which the impure blood remains stagnant in the inner surface of the skin instead of going to deep veins inside. When stagnant blood in the surface of skin increases in amount, blue veins start appearing in large quantity by bulging above the skin.
Chronic blood clots cause blue veins on your abdomen
If there is a sudden accumulation of blood clots in the deep veins located inside the abdomen like iliac veins and inferior venacava or IVC and due to irregular or no treatment in the initial days, these blood clots will permanently settle in the deep system of veins, then the path provided by this deep venous system for the impure blood to rise upwards is blocked.
Pressure on deep veins by a tumour-- another reason of bulging veins
Another important reason for the flow of impure blood to stop from these veins is the external pressure on these veins like the pressure exerted by the uterus during pregnancy, tumour of the uterus or tumour of the urinary bladder or tumour of other large intestine also blocks the path carrying impure blood to the heart, as a result of which the blood coming from the lower legs cannot reach the lungs through these deep veins and tries to reach upwards through the veins located under the skin of the abdomen. This is a temporary and natural process in the body, just like when the highway is blocked, people try to take out their cars and vehicles from the footpaths and fields on both sides of the highway. Therefore, the blue veins visible in the abdomen mean that the deep system of veins used to move the impure blood upwards has been blocked. Therefore, in such a condition, contact a vascular or a cardio vascular surgeon without wasting time.
What to do if there are prominent blue veins on your abdomen?
If you are seeing spider-like or scissor-like blue veins on your abdomen, then do not sit idle, immediately consult a vascular surgeon instead of a general surgeon. It is important to know the reasons for these protuberant blue veins, only then the right treatment can be possible. For this, Doppler study, multi-CT scan, MR venogram and digital subtraction venography are needed. Therefore, always go to a hospital where all these modern tests are easily available and before entering the hospital, ensure that there is availability of any vascular or cardio vascular surgeon and whether operations of arteries and veins like vein bypass surgery, valvuloplasty etc. are done or not. Also ensure there are facility for Venous angioplasty and stenting.
Methods for treatment of bulging veins on abdomen
The reasons for the occurrence of these blue bulging veins on the abdomen have to be found out. If tumour inside the abdomen is the cause, this has to be removed to relieve external pressure exerted on the deep veins. If there is a chronic blockage due to blood clots in the deep veins located inside the abdomen, Venous angioplasty and stenting are tried. If this non-surgical treatment fails, then venous bypass surgery has to be done. If the main deep vein in the stomach is permanently blocked, then special surgical techniques like IVC Bypass can be attempted.
Dr. K. K. Pandey
Senior Vascular and Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.