Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Sep;22(3):147-56.
doi: 10.1055/s-2005-921948.

Lower extremity venous anatomy

Mark H Meissner  1
Affiliations

Lower extremity venous anatomy

Mark H Meissner. Semin Intervent Radiol. 2005 Sep.

Abstract

The lower extremity venous system includes the superficial, deep, and perforating veins. The antegrade flow of blood within these veins is ensured by a system of muscular venous pumps and bicuspid valves. Dysfunction of the system may result from degeneration of the vein wall, post-thrombotic valvular damage, chronic venous obstruction, or dysfunction of the muscular pumps. Although chronic venous disease often receives less attention than arterial disease, it includes an array of manifestations resulting from a complex interaction of anatomy and hemodynamic failure. A thorough understanding of the highly variable venous anatomy is essential to understanding the underlying pathophysiology as well as in directing treatment.

Keywords: Vein; anatomy; thrombosis; valvular incompetence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anatomy of the lower extremity venous system. (From Meissner MH. Pathophysiology of varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency. In: Hallett JW, Mills JL, Earnshaw JJ, Reekers JA, eds. Comprehensive Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 1st ed. Edinburgh: Mosby; 2004:571–589. Reprinted with permission.)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Transverse ultrasound image of the great saphenous vein. The great saphenous vein lies in a subcompartment bordered superficially by the saphenous fascia and deeply by the muscular fascia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Carter C J, Anderson F A, Wheeler H B. In: Hull RD, Raskob GE, Pineo GF, editor. Venous Thromboembolism: An Evidence-Based Atlas. Armonk, NY: Futura Publishing Company; 1996. Epidemiology and pathophysiology of venous thromboembolism. pp. 3–20.
    1. Nawroth P P, Handley D A, Esmon C T, Stern D M. Interleukin 1 induces endothelial cell procoagulant while suppressing cell-surface anticoagulant activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1986;83:3460–3464. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stewart G J. Neutrophils and deep venous thrombosis. Haemostasis. 1993;23(suppl 1):127–140. - PubMed
    1. Moneta G L, Nehler M R. In: Gloviczki P, Yao JST, editor. Handbook of Venous Disorders: Guidelines of the American Venous Forum. 1st ed. London: Chapman and Hall Medical; 1996. The lower extremity venous system: anatomy and physiology of normal venous function and chronic venous insufficiency. pp. 3–26.
    1. Browse N, Burnand K, Thomas M. Diseases of the Veins: Pathology, Diagnosis, and Treatment. London: Edward Arnold; 1988.