Abstract
Why do patients develop venous ulcers? It is recognized that some form of abnormality of the venous system is a contributing factor but this does not explain the whole
problem. Abnormal physiology in the lower extremity venous system can be due to
abnormal function of the venous pump, or obstruction or insufficiency of one or
more segments of the venous system or any combination of these elements. The
important factor is that these can lead to venous hypertension which is the basic
element in the causation of venous ulcers (Fig. 1).