Objective: To describe 12 patients with a vascular malformation found at the saphenofemoral junction during dissection of the inguinal region for surgery of varicose veins. Design: Retrospective study of cases found during the period from 1986 to 1991. Setting: University Hospital of the Military School of Medicine, Bogota, Colombia. Patients: Twelve patients, 11 unilateral and one bilateral, representing 0.5% of our total experience in surgery of varicose veins in 5 years. Interventions: Surgical resection of the angiomatous malformation. Main outcome measures: Clinical assessment of patients and histological examination of excised tissue. Results: The excised angiomatous tissue was found to contain irregular venous vessels, associated with lymphatic nodular structures and surrounded by adipose tissue. A satisfactory clinical outcome was obtained in patients where the angiomatous tissue could be excised. Conclusions: Vascular surgeons treating varicose veins should be aware of the possibility of finding vascular angiomatous malformation of the saphenofemoral junction. Surgical resection of these benign lesions results in a satisfactory clinical outcome.