Foam treatment for varicose veins; efficacy and safety

Introduction: Lower extremity varicose vein is a common disease. Sclerotherapy can be used to treat truncal varices of the superficial venous system. This involves injecting a sclerosant intraluminally in order to cause fibrosis and eventual obliteration of the vein. Objective: To demonstrate the efficacy and safety of foam sclerotherapy in the treatment of great saphenous reflux measured against patient clinical examination and duplex scanning. Materials and methods: Fifty legs with varicose veins due to incompetent great saphenous vein were treated with ultrasound guided sclerosing foam prepared according to the Tessari method by mixing 3% polidocanol solution (Aethoxysclerol) with air using 2 disposable syringes and a three way tap producing high-quality micro-foam. Clinical examination and duplex scanning before and after the treatment with a mean follow up of 6 months were done to every patient. Results: An average of 10 ml of foam was required to close incompetent Great saphenous veins as defined by a reflux of more than 0.5 s documented by duplex scan. At the 6th month of follow up, patients felt that their legs were treated successfully with resolution of symptoms and complete resolution in 96%. Conclusion: Foam sclerotherapy is a safe and effective therapy in treating varicose veins with high patient satisfaction and improvement in quality of life. KEYWORDS: Varicose veins, Foam sclerotherapy, Duplex ultrasound imaging, Treatment outcome, Complication