An animal model for teaching subfacial ligation of perforator veins to treat venous stasis ulcers.

Endoscopic subfacial ligation of perforator veins in the lower limb has been described in the treatment of venous stasis ulcer. An animal model to enable surgeons to become familiar with the surgical technique is presented. The model uses the porcine abdominal wall and allows practice in endoscopic dissection and ligation using appropriate instrumentation in an environment that is a reasonable surrogate for the human calf.