title: [Role of the external saphenous vein in repeat surgery of primary varicose veins of the lower limbs].
abstract: Between January 1968 and June 1978, we required to carry out 170 repeat operations for primary varicose veins of the lower limbs. In 34 operations (21.9% of cases) the re-operation involved a surgical procedure on the external saphenous: --in 6 cases, isolated ligature of the arch, --in 28 cases, stripping of the short saphenous. In our practice surgical reoperation is only indicated when there is a substantial point of leakage between deep and superficial systems. Residual varicosities after surgery require simple post-operative sclerosis. Surgery to the short saphenous is carried out in various circumstances; a) Where the initial operation involved an error in technique: Wrongly sited ligature of the arch (5 cases). This occurs less frequently than in the cases of the internal saphenous . b) Where the first operation was defective by reason of a tactical error: The short saphenous had not been recognized as responsible for varicose veins and had been ignored. Where several years after an operation on the long saphenous, insufficiency developed in the short saphenous and required treatment in its turn. Preoperative assessment involved phlebography and a Doppler examination in the majority of cases. The results are difficult to assess since in nearly two thirds of the cases, surgery to the external saphenous was combined with a further surgical procedure on the internal saphenous.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000601:surgery*
vernacular_title: La place de la saphène externe dans la chirurgie itérative des varices essentielles des membres inférieurs.