Endoscopic Vein Surgery in Lower Extremities with VasoView System

Abstract

The VasoView system was used for endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting in 10 coronary artery bypass patients and for endoscopic subfascial division of perforating veins in 8 patients with varicose veins. In both procedures, the surface of the saphenous vein and the subfascial plane were dissected using the VasoView dissection cannula. An operative tunnel was subsequently created by inflating and deflating the balloon and maintained by carbon dioxide insufflation. The branches of the saphenous vein and the perforating veins were divided with bipolar scissors under endoscopic vision. In endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting, the mean graft length was 31.5 ± 7.5 cm and the mean number of skin incisions was 3 ± 1.2. In endoscopic subfascial division of perforating veins, 3.4 ± 1.7 veins were divided. The VasoView system is attributed with a decrease in complications after vein surgery in the lower extremities.