Just my two cents on vein mapping.  Everey time I think our team has 
screwed up, mapped the vein incorrectly for instance, I am proven wrong!  
This is a remarkably accurate and useful study when performed correctly.

For instance, last week I was doing a case.  The vein was mapped medially 
but then, in distal leg, veered anteriorly.  This is not GSV.  I thought 
maybe we just folowed wrong vein.  I found vein higher up and exposed 
length of lower leg to ankle.  Distal vein externally looked OK but, in 
fact, there was no lumen secondary to a likely prior phelbitis.  The vein 
they followed still wasn't GSV and wasn't suitable for bypass but the 
vein mapping accurately showed the "absence" of suitable vein and 
identified vein above correctly.

I recommend experience on part of technologist AND surgeon as the way to 
make the best from this test!

MAR

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Michael A. Ricci, MD			
Associate Professor of Surgery			Phone:  (802) 656-4548
University of Vermont College of Medicine   	FAX:    (802) 893-0305
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