Foam treatment for varicose veins; efficacy and safety

IntroductionLower 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.ObjectiveTo 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 methodsFifty 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.ResultsAn 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%.ConclusionFoam sclerotherapy is a safe and effective therapy in treating varicose veins with high patient satisfaction and improvement in quality of life.