Historical overview of venous valve prostheses for the treatment of deep venous valve insufficiency.

Almost 3% of people in the Western world will suffer from a venous disease at some time in their lives, but as yet there are very few effective treatments for the venous system. When the valves become incompetent, they allow backflow and subsequent pooling of blood in the lower extremities. Current clinical therapies for the elimination of deep reflux are very invasive and provide short-lasting results. Thus, there is an urgent need for technological evolution of implantable valves and, if possible, with minimally invasive techniques. This review provides a basic history of the discovery of deep vein valves and various designs of prosthetic vein valves that have been evaluated in animal models and clinical studies.