title: Saphenous vein stripping surgical technique and frequency of saphenous nerve injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Saphenous nerve injury is the most common complication after surgical treatment of varicose veins. The aim of this study was to establish its frequency at great saphenous vein long stripping when four methods of surgery were applied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients were divided into four groups depending on different stripping methods. Sensory transmission in saphenous nerve and sensory perception of shank were examined before surgery and two weeks, three and six months afterwards with clinical neurophysiology methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 36% of patients, surgeries caused the injury of saphenous nerve mainly by proximal stripping without invagination (65%, group I). Transmission disturbances ceased completely after three months in patients undergoing distal stripping with invagination (group IV), while in group I they persisted for six months in 35%. Group IV patients were the least injured and group I the most.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neurophysiological findings may suggest that distal stripping with vein invagination gives the best saphenous nerve sparing.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, General and Vascular Surgery Clinic, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland Department of Pathophysiology of Locomotor Organs, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaworucka-Kaczorowska
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, General and Vascular Surgery Clinic, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oszkinis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology of Locomotor Organs, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland zpnr@wp.pl.
authors.forename: Juliusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology of Locomotor Organs, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiertel-Krawczuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology of Locomotor Organs, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gabor
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, General and Vascular Surgery Clinic, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaczorowski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010525:Peripheral Nerves; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000601:surgery*; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Great saphenous vein stripping; neurophysiological examinations; saphenous nerve sensory transmission