Abnormal vein patterns on the feet: two case reports

Folia Morphol (Warsz). 2023;82(3):732-734. doi: 10.5603/FM.a2022.0053. Epub 2022 May 24.

Abstract

There are many variable variants of the posterior tibial veins and these are extremely important for the venous circulation of the feet. Due to the complex and variable nature of the lower extremity veins, their drainage is particularly important in some surgical operations including flap operations and the treatment of important pathological conditions such as deep vein thrombosis. The plantar surface of the foot and the tarsal tunnel have significant neurovascular structures. Therefore it is extremely difficult to determine a safe zone when working in this region, especially for surgeons. In these two cases, abnormal vein patterns with rare anastomoses with their different drainage patterns and the fenestration were observed in the right and left feet and medial region of the ankle of male cadavers during the routine dissection. The clinical importance of this condition was particularly discussed. There are very limited cadaver studies to find out the relationship between the posterior tibial veins and great saphenous vein due to the difficulty of working on surgically deep vein thrombosis and some flap techniques. Therefore the region should be well known anatomically. Thanks to the variations and the anastomoses in our study, we aim to contribute to the studies to understand the complex structure of the region.

Keywords: anastomosis; deep vein thrombosis; great saphenous vein; posterior tibial veins.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Foot*
  • Humans
  • Lower Extremity
  • Male
  • Saphenous Vein
  • Venous Thrombosis* / etiology
  • Venous Thrombosis* / surgery