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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
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Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Screening for Proximal Lower Extremity Deep Venous Thrombosis
Published on: February 10, 2023
The venous system of the lower limbs
F Calotă1, S Mogoantă, M Intorcaciu
1General Surgery Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania. ssmogo@yahoo.com
Summary
Lower limb venous circulation is more complex than previously thought, featuring subdermal collectors and intricate connections between superficial and deep systems. These pathways allow bidirectional blood flow, especially under venous hypertension, impacting perforator function.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Anatomy
- Human Physiology
Background:
- The functional anatomy of the lower limb venous system remains incompletely understood.
- Existing models do not fully account for the complexity of venous circulation in the legs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the intricate details of lower limb venous anatomy and functionality.
- To investigate the complex interconnections between superficial and deep venous systems.
Main Methods:
- Dissections of fresh amputation segments.
- Injection of methylene blue into superficial and deep veins.
Main Results:
- Identified subdermal collectors connecting to saphenous trunks, enabling bidirectional blood transfer.
- Revealed complex dermal plexus connections to the deep venous system via perforators and submillimetric perforators (Delater equivalences).
- Demonstrated that venous hypertension can lead to valvular deterioration in perforators, causing pathological bidirectional flow.
Conclusions:
- The venous circulation of the lower limbs is significantly more complex than previously recognized.
- Subdermal collectors and intricate perforator networks play crucial roles in venous blood distribution.
- Venous hypertension is a key factor in the functional impairment of the venous system, leading to pathological flow patterns.
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