title: Debate: whether venous perforator surgery reduces recurrences.
abstract: Superficial venous surgery and perforator vein surgery, specifically, have a long and varied history in the evolution of vascular surgery, especially because venous disease continues to be extremely common. As with other areas of our specialty, perforator vein procedures have progressed from being purely open operations to becoming less invasive procedures. Despite this, there remains much discussion (as well as overt disagreement) about whether perforator vein surgery is actually appropriate and beneficial in the first place. Surgeons have no level I evidence from randomized controlled studies to determine whether perforator vein surgery does or does not reduce the chances of recurrence of superficial venous varicosities, so we must rely on the evidence as it currently is. Perhaps not surprisingly, our two experts have assembled divergent opinions on the role of perforator venous surgery in contemporary practice.
authors.affiliation: The Whiteley Clinic, Guildford and London; and Faculty of Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom. Electronic address: mark@thewhiteleyclinic.co.uk.
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Whiteley
authors.affiliation: The Cardiovascular Center, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Mass. Electronic address: todonnell@tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
mesh_terms: D018450:Disease Progression; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects; D014689:Venous Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*