ABSTRACT
The aim of varicose vein surgery is to prevent the complications of venous disease. The indications for such surgery are as follows: oedema, skin pigmentation, lipodermatosclerosis, and venous eczema and ulceration. In the presence of obstruction, any varicose veins must be assumed to be secondary to the obstruction and thus not removed. Duplex ultrasound can also be used to identify and mark the variable site of the sapheno-popliteal junction when the short saphenous vein is varicose. The procedure is performed under a general anaesthetic, with the patient in a supine position. The skin is prepared with a suitable antiseptic and draped. A small incision was made where the stripper was palpable below the knee, and then dissects out and incises the vein to deliver the tip of the stripper. T-shaped handle is attached to the stripper and strip the vein from the proximal to distal end, at the same time applying pressure to the thigh in order to minimise bleeding.
