Colour flow imaging of the normal short saphenous vein

Colour flow imaging was used to assess the functional anatomy of the short saphenous vein (SSV) system in 104 limbs of 52 healthy volunteers. Previous studies have shown that the majority of pathological SSVs join the popliteal vein (PV) at the level of the knee. This was not the case in nearly half of the healthy limbs in this study. In these limbs the SSV retained its early embryonic function of providing venous return from the superficial system of the lower leg into veins of the upper leg and buttock. Is this a developmental safety valve?