THE SUPEEFICIAL VEINS OF THE INFEBIOK EXTKEMITY. 989 



the great saphenous vein, and laterally by joining the lateral dorsal digital vein 

 of the little toe to form the small saphenous vein. The dorsal venous arch 

 receives the dorsal metatarsal veins ; interdigital efferents from the plantar trans- 

 verse arch ; and numerous tributaries from the dorsum of the foot, which anastomose 

 freely together forming a wide-meshed dorsal venous plexus, open into it posteriorly. 

 Vena Saphena Magna. The great saphenous vein is formed by the union of 

 the medial extremity of the dorsal venous 

 arch with the medial dorsal digital vein of 

 the great toe. It passes anterior to the 

 medial malleolus, crosses the medial surface 

 of the distal third of the body of the tibia, 

 and ascends, immediately posterior to the 

 medial margin of the tibia, to the knee, 

 where it lies just posterior to the medial 

 condyle of the femur; continuing proxirually, 

 with an inclination forwards and laterally, it 

 gains the proximal part of the femoral tri- 

 gone, where it perforates the fascia cribrosa 

 and the femoral sheath to reach its termina- 

 tion in the femoral vein. In the foot and 

 leg it is accompanied by the saphenous nerve, 

 and for a short distance distal to the knee 

 by the superficial or saphenous branch of the 

 arteria genu suprema. In the thigh, branches 

 of the medial cutaneous nerve (O.T. internal) 

 lie in close relation with it. It contains from 

 eight to twenty bicuspid valves. 



Tributaries. It communicates freely, 

 through the deep fascia, with the deep inter- 

 muscular veins. In the foot, it receives tribu- 

 taries from the medial part of the sole and from 

 the dorsal venous plexus. In the leg it is joined 

 by tributaries from the dorsum of the foot, the 

 medial and posterior parts of the heel, the front 

 of the leg and the back of the calf, and it anasto- 

 moses freely with the small saphenous vein. In 

 the thigh it receives numerous tributaries, and 

 amongst them are two superficial femoral veins. 

 Of these, the lateral ascends from the lateral 

 side of the knee and terminates in the great 

 saphenous vein at the distal part of the femoral 

 trigone ; the other, the medial, ascends from the 

 posterior aspect of the thigh, along its medial 

 side, and terminates in the great saphenous vein 

 near the fossa ovalis. In many cases the medial 

 superficial femoral vein communicates distally 

 with the small saphenous vein, and when that 

 condition exists the medial superficial femoral vein is called the accessory saphenous 

 vein. The last tributaries to enter the great saphenous vein are the superficial circumflex 

 iliac, superficial epigastric, and superficial external pudendal veins. They accompany 

 the corresponding arteries, and terminate in the great saphenous vein immediately 

 before it perforates the fascia cribrosa. 



The superficial circumflex iliac vein receives blood from the lower and lateral part 

 of the abdominal wall and the proximal and lateral parts of the thigh. The superficial 

 epigastric vein drains the lower and medial part of the abdominal wall, and the superficial 

 external pudendal vein receives blood from the dorsum of the penis and the scrotum in 

 the male, and from the labium majus in the female. 



Vena Saphena Parva. The small saphenous vein is formed by the union of 

 the lateral extremity of the dorsal venous arch with the lateral dorsal digital vein 



FIG. 795. THE SMALL SAPHENOUS VEIN 

 AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



