A microneurovascular study of the great saphenous vein in man and the possible implications for survival of venous flaps

Cross sections (n = 372) of human long saphenous veins (n = 12) from unsalv ageable fresh above knee amputation specimens brought to a trauma centre in a large metropolitan hospital were studied. The veins were harvested longi tudinally with an amount of soft tissue equivalent to the diameter of the v ein and sectioned at intervals of 5 mm. The sections were stained with haem atoxylin and eosin for general study, Van Gieson for better delineation of different coats of the vessel wall and reticulin stain to differentiate bet ween venules and arterioles. The vascular structures within the vein wall a nd its surrounds were analysed by using analySISpro via a CCD camera attach ed to a light microscope, with the help of a frame grabber card and image a nalysis software. Results show that the vein has vasa vasorum within its wa ll, a capillary network around it, arterioles, venules and the saphenous ne rve and its branches with their vascular network a further distance apart. The relevance of the microsurgical anatomy of the saphenous vein and its so ft tissue envelope in the survival of venous flaps is discussed. (C) 2000 T he British Association of Plastic Surgeons.