[The perforating vein of the Hunter's canal: incidence in varicose pathology and treatment].

Hunter's perforator is a vein which joins the great saphenous vein with the femoral vein by passing through the aponeurosis of the adductor (Hunter's) canal, more or less at the junction of the lower and middle thirds of the thigh. It is constant, very variable in terms of its origin and may be twin or more, though there is a degree of regularity concerning its ending. It is important to detect its incontinence in varicose pathology, notably when there is recurrence following stripping of the great saphenous. Clinical examination is the most important, often combined with Doppler investigation and much more rarely with phlebography. The treatment of this perforator is essentially medical, by sclerosing injections, and sometimes surgical, after indications have been carefully weighed. New methods of treatment, such as the CHIVA technique, are also being developed but there is an insufficient follow-up time to enable any objective conclusion to be drawn.