OBSERVATIONS OF THE GREAT SAPHENOUS VEINS OF CHINESE MALE ADULTS

1. The upper tributaries of great saphenous veins were divided into 15 types. Type Ⅵ, in which the superficial iliac circumflex vein, the superficial epigastric vein and the lateral superficial femoral vein together constituted a pattern of the common trunk, was the most frequent one, comprising 53 sides, amounting to 25.61 per cent. 2. The average length of 156 sides of great saphenous veins was 76 cm, the longest was 85 cm. and the shortest 65 cm. 3. With reference to the bone landmarks of lower limbs, the saphenous vein was on average 0.8 cm. from the infero-anterior margin of malleolus medialis of tibia, 5.5 cm. from the anterior middle one third of the crista of the tibia, and 1.95 cm. from the pos- terior aspect of the medial epicondylus of the femur. 4. The distance between the lower margin of the saphenous femoral junction and the lower margin of the inguinal ligament was on the average 4.3 cm. 5. The average number of valves of the great saphenous veins was 8. The highest incidence ranged from 5--10 valves, comprising 83.58 per cent of all the cases. 6. The authors suggested that the commonly designated terms medial and lateral acessory saphenous veins should be replaced by medial and lateral superficial femoral veins respectively, according to their receptive scopes and the rule of anatomical nomenclature.