The long saphenous vein: To strip or not to strip?

As 80% of varicose veins stem from incompetence of the great saphenous system, surgeons must choose between simple high ligation of the saphenofemoral junction with avulsion of varicosities or the same procedure done with additional stripping of the long saphenous vein. Many surgeons strip the long saphenous vein by using variations of Keller's 1905 report of inversion stripping. Others may use other techniques. When surgical procedures for varicose veins are compared, they are often measured by the recurrence rate. This, of course, is difficult to define. Comparisons of saphenous vein stripping versus ligation favor the results achieved by stripping but patient satisfaction appears to be equal and while stripping appears to give better satisfaction with regard to quality of life scores, in fact, the risk of nerve damage and subsequent litigation is quite real when the operation of stripping is done.