Superficial veins of the foot in the baboon Papio anubis.

Although the baboon is considered a good animal model in biomedical research, no description of the superficial veins of the foot in Papio anubis is found in the available literature. The current study was conducted to document the anatomy of these veins in the baboon foot. A macroscopic anatomical investigation was carried out on 20 hind legs (10 cadavers) of the adult Papio anubis (9 males and 1 female). The circulatory system of the entire body was filled with coloured latex. Traditional methods were used for the preparation of the veins of the legs. These were then compared with the venous system of the lower extremities in humans as presented in the literature. The medial and lateral metatarsal veins, the dorsal venous network, the long saphenous vein and the short saphenous vein in Papio anubis were described according to their origin, course, opening, length and diameter. The network observed was divided into three types with respect to the connections between the superficial veins. The investigation revealed no symmetry in the venous system of the baboon foot. The short saphenous vein appeared to be the main vein of the hind leg in Papio anubis and the long saphenous vein ran as a double vessel.