BACKGROUND: Valves are characteristic structures of veins and are important to guide blood flow. Their presence in the superficial venous system of lower limbs has been well studied. However, there is a lack of published literature on deep veins, such as the gastrocnemius vein. OBJECTIVE: To carry out an anatomical study of the veins in the main gastrocnemius trunk in adult human cadavers. METHODS: The main gastrocnemius trunks of 80 gastrocnemius muscle heads of 20 adult cadavers were dissected. The cadavers were males, aged between 40 and 68 years, and fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution. Trunks and net types were classified according to Aragão et al.'s proposal. The valves were studied as to quantity, distribution, location and type with regard to trunk, leg, muscle head and type of gastrocnemius net. RESULTS: Of 80 gastrocnemius muscle heads, there were 95 main gastrocnemius trunks, and 17 were duplicated. There were 65 valves in 60 gastrocnemius trunks, all of them bicuspid: 35 in type I net, 23 in type II and seven in type III net. Valves were located in the proximal third of the main gastrocnemius trunk in 74% of cases. CONCLUSION: Valves were found in all net types that had main gastrocnemius trunk. These valves were bicuspid and predominantly located in the proximal third of main gastrocnemius trunks.
Venous insufficiency; veins; anatomy
