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# Perforating veins

These perforating veins run with the perforating arteries of the thigh and drain the back of the thigh into the deep femoral vein.

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## What it is

Veins that run with the perforating arteries through the back of the thigh.

## What it does

Drain the back of the thigh into the deep femoral vein.

## Key points

- Here the name means the veins with the [perforating arteries](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/perforating-femoral-arteries/) of the deep femoral system, not the «perforator veins» of venous surgery that cross the deep fascia from superficial to deep veins
- They link the deep femoral vein with the popliteal and inferior [gluteal veins](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/superior-gluteal-veins/), so blood can bypass a blocked [femoral vein](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/femoral-vein/)

## Key facts

**Drains**
Posterior thigh muscles (hamstrings, adductor magnus); run with perforating arteries

**Into**
Deep femoral vein

## Relations

**Course**
Run with their arteries from the back of the thigh, through the [adductor magnus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/adductor-magnus/) near the linea aspera, to the [deep femoral vein](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/deep-femoral-vein/)

## How to find it

Met with the perforating arteries in a lateral approach to the [femur](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/femur/), at the lateral intermuscular septum, and in the back of the thigh where they leave the hamstrings to pass through the adductor magnus.

## On imaging

Duplex ultrasound of the thigh can show them deep to the fascia beside the perforating arteries; the report should keep them apart from the superficial-to-deep perforator veins examined in varicose vein studies.

## Clinical notes

- They bleed with their arteries in femoral shaft fractures and in lateral approaches to the femur, where they cross the lateral intermuscular septum
- The thigh's superficial-to-deep perforators (classically Dodd and Hunter, along the [great saphenous vein](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/great-saphenous-vein/)) are a separate group that matters in varicose veins

## Related conditions

- [Varicose veins](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/varicose-veins/)
- [Chronic venous insufficiency](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/chronic-venous-insufficiency/)
- [Venous leg ulcer](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/venous-leg-ulcer/)

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Into which vein do the perforating veins of the thigh drain?

Into the deep femoral vein, draining the posterior thigh muscles alongside the perforating arteries.

## How do the perforating veins of the deep femoral system differ from the «perforator veins» of venous surgery?

They accompany the perforating arteries; perforator veins (e.g. Dodd, Hunter) cross the deep fascia from superficial to deep veins.

## What collateral role do the perforating veins play if the femoral vein is blocked?

They link the deep femoral vein with the popliteal and inferior gluteal veins, letting blood bypass the block.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
venae perforantes TA2 5071

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Venas perforantes

**English (TA2)**
Perforating veins

## Related

- [Perforating arteries](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/perforating-femoral-arteries/)
- [Deep femoral vein](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/deep-femoral-vein/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Femoral Triangle](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541140/); [20.5 Circulatory Pathways](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/20-5-circulatory-pathways) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.): The Arteries of the Lower Extremity (Lea & Febiger (Gray's Anatomy, 1918), 1918) · adapted, Public domain.

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/perforating-veins/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/perforating-veins/