The small saphenous vein (also short saphenous vein or lesser saphenous vein) is a relatively large

superficial vein Superficial veins are veins that are close to the surface of the body, as opposed to deep veins, which are far from the surface. Superficial veins are not paired with an artery, unlike the deep veins, which are typically associated with an arte ...

of the posterior

leg A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element ca ...

Structure

The origin of the small saphenous vein, (SSV) is where the dorsal vein from the fifth digit (smallest toe) merges with the

dorsal venous arch of the foot The dorsal venous arch of the foot is a superficial vein that connects the small saphenous vein and the great saphenous vein. Anatomically, it is defined by where the dorsal veins of the first and fifth digit, respectively, meet the great saphen ...

, which attaches to the

great saphenous vein The great saphenous vein (GSV, alternately "long saphenous vein"; ) is a large, subcutaneous, superficial vein of the leg. It is the longest vein in the body, running along the length of the lower limb, returning blood from the foot, leg and thig ...

(GSV). It is a

, being subcutaneous (just under the skin). From its origin, it courses around the lateral aspect of the foot (inferior and posterior to the

lateral malleolus A malleolus is the bony prominence on each side of the human ankle. Each leg is supported by two bones, the tibia on the inner side (medial) of the leg and the fibula on the outer side (lateral) of the leg. The medial malleolus is the promine ...

) and runs along the posterior aspect of the leg (with the

sural nerve The sural nerve ''(L4-S1)'' is generally considered a pure cutaneous nerve of the posterolateral leg to the lateral ankle. The sural nerve originates from a combination of either the sural communicating branch and medial sural cutaneous nerve, or ...

), where it passes between the heads of the

gastrocnemius muscle The gastrocnemius muscle (plural ''gastrocnemii'') is a superficial two-headed muscle that is in the back part of the lower leg of humans. It runs from its two heads just above the knee to the heel, a three joint muscle (knee, ankle and subtala ...

. This vein presents a number of different draining points. Usually, it drains into the

popliteal vein The popliteal vein is a vein of the lower limb. It is formed from the anterior tibial vein and the posterior tibial vein. It travels medial to the popliteal artery, and becomes the femoral vein. It drains blood from the leg. It can be assess ...

, at or above the level of the

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

joint.

Variation

Sometimes, the SSV joins the common gastrocnemius vein before draining in the

. Sometimes, it does not make contact with the popliteal vein, but goes up to drain in the GSV at a variable level. Instead of draining in the popliteal vein, it can merge with the

Giacomini vein The Giacomini vein, or cranial extension of the small saphenous vein is a communicating vein between the great saphenous vein (GSV) and the small saphenous vein (SSV). It is named after the Italian anatomist Carlo Giacomini (1840–1898). The G ...

and drain in the GSV at the superior 1/3 of the thigh.

Clinical significance

Varicose veins

The small saphenous vein may become

varicose Varicose veins, also known as varicoses, are a medical condition in which superficial veins become enlarged and twisted. These veins typically develop in the legs, just under the skin. Varicose veins usually cause few symptoms. However, some indiv ...

. In 20% of cases, this is associated with

chronic venous insufficiency Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a medical condition in which blood pools in the veins, straining the walls of the vein. The most common cause of CVI is superficial venous reflux which is a treatable condition. As functional venous valves are ...

Vein stripping Vein stripping is a surgical procedure done under general or local anaesthetic to aid in the treatment of varicose veins and other manifestations of chronic venous disease. The vein "stripped" (pulled out from under the skin using minimal incisio ...

is an effective treatment.

Vein Harvesting

The small saphenous vein may be harvested for transplant to elsewhere in the body, such as in

coronary artery bypass surgery Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...

. Endoscopic vein harvesting can be used to extract the vein from the leg minimally invasively.

Additional images

File:Gray440 color.png, Cross-section through middle of leg File:Gray836.png, Nerves of the dorsum of the foot

References

External links

Illustration at pdn.cam.ac.uk
{{Authority control Veins of the lower limb