Giacomini’s vein – a report on the invaluable importance of an anomalous short saphenous vein

TL;DR

This paper reports a rare anatomical variation of the short saphenous vein in a human cadaver.

Contribution

The study presents a unique case of a short saphenous vein that terminates in the thigh rather than the popliteal vein.

Findings

The short saphenous vein extended into the thigh and ended in the veins of the thigh.

The vein did not penetrate any structures, making it unlikely to cause varicose veins.

This case is valuable for surgeons in multiple specialties.

Abstract

Variations in the drainage (termination) and course of the lower limb veins are not uncommon. When dissecting the left lower limb of the adult male cadaver in the vascular case described herein, a unique kind of unilateral short saphenous vein (SSV) termination was observed. It was found that the SSV had normal origin and course in the dorsum of the foot and the back of the leg, respectively. Most often the SSV terminates in the popliteal vein at the popliteal fossa. In this case, it extended upward into the back of the thigh, passing behind the sciatic nerve and then deep to it and the biceps femoris, and finally ended in the veins of the thigh. The SSV did not penetrate any structures along its course to the end, so this unusual vein appears unlikely to be associated with SSV varicose veins. For general, plastic, cardiothoracic, and vascular surgeons, our case would be of significant value.

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