Popliteal Vein Valve Transplantation for Deep Venous Valvular Incompetence

Interest in deep venous reconstruction for severe chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is burgeoning. Vein valve transplantation for deep venous valvular incompetence, an indirect method for correcting deep venous valvular incompetence achieves its physiologic benefits by placing a normal functioning valve harvested from the upper extremity into the deep system. By contrast, other authors in this volume have presented alternative forms of deep venous valvular reconstruction where the valve mechanism itself is directly repaired or a local segment of vein containing a functioning valve from the same anatomic area, such as the saphenous or profunda, is transposed into the deep venous circuit. Several factors influence the role of deep venous valvular surgery and its frequency. For example, the incidence of deep venous involvement in patients with advanced stage II or frank ulceration (stage III) is variable and depends upon patient selection process.