ABSTRACT
Phlebectomy, first described by Cornelius Celsus (25 BC-45 AD), was performed in ancient Rome until it was stopped during the Middle Ages. Not until the 1500s, did phlebectomy resume, with phlebectomy hooks illustrated in the Textbook of Surgery of W.H. Ryff, published in 1545 (1). Lost again, this technique was rediscovered in 1956 by Dr Robert Muller, a Swiss dermatologic surgeon in private practice in Neuchaˆtel (Switzerland). Dr Muller developed his method (2,3), modestly calling it Celsus’ phlebectomy, and eagerly taught this technique to over 300 physicians who visited his office (4-6). This technique is commonly referred to as ‘‘Muller’s phlebectomy’’ or ‘‘ambulatory phlebectomy (AP),’’ and is now performed by dermatologic surgeons, vascular surgeons, phlebologists, and others who have had hands-on training with experts in the technique.
