Episodes of extreme lower leg pain caused by intraosseous varicose veins

We present a case of a 67-year-old man with episodes of extreme pain of the right lower extremity that prevented him from walking and sleeping. The patient had a history of varices in both legs. Physical examination showed a pretibial varix of the right leg inferiorly from a painful spot. X-ray of the right lower leg showed a cortex disruption at this spot. MRIs confirmed the disruption of the cortex of the right tibia and demonstrated an intraosseous vessel. The diagnosis intraosseous varices was made and the vein was surgically resected. Follow-up took place after 3 years and the patient was free from any symptoms related to the intraosseous varicose vein. The pathophysiology causing the pain symptoms is hard to understand, partly due to the limited cases presented with such anomalies. We demonstrate our case in the hope to generate more knowledge about this disorder.