Open and endovenous surgery of varicose veins are excellent ways of treating varicosis. However, there are great differences in how the techniques are performed. No matter which procedure is carried out, certain standards should be observed. The state of the art of open venous surgery with radical crossectomy is well-known, but unfortunately is still not always performed correctly. The state of the art of endovenous surgery has not yet been sufficiently documented, but should be based on open surgery techniques. This work describes in detail what are (or should be) the standards of both methods today. A definition of recurrence applicable to both techniques is established. Key Words: Varicose veins, crossectomy,
