Foam Sclerotherapy Debate: Is it the Ultimate Treatment for Varicose Veins

Today at the 33rd annual VEITHsymposium™, experts will debate whether foam sclerotherapy is powerful and effective enough to replace open surgery and endovascular ablation as the treatment of choice for varicose veins. Foam sclerotherapy uses an ultrasound-guided sclerosant to seal off varicose veins in order to stop the swelling, itchiness, and pain that they typically cause. Dr. John Bergan, Professor of Surgery, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine (La Jolla, CA), asserted several compelling reasons why foam sclerotherapy is the best choice: ease and efficacy of treatment and follow-up, low procedure cost, and increased patient comfort.

New York (PRWEB) November 17, 2006 -- Today at the 33rd annual VEITHsymposium™, experts will debate whether foam sclerotherapy is powerful and effective enough to replace open surgery and endovascular ablation as the treatment of choice for varicose veins. Foam sclerotherapy uses an ultrasound-guided sclerosant to seal off varicose veins in order to stop the swelling, itchiness, and pain that they typically cause.

Dr. John Bergan, Professor of Surgery, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine (La Jolla, CA), asserted several compelling reasons why foam sclerotherapy is the best choice: ease and efficacy of treatment and follow-up, low procedure cost, and increased patient comfort.

Stripping the great saphenous vein (GSV), which runs the length of the leg from the big toe to the groin, is the traditional approach to treating varicose veins. It is highly effective but requires open surgery, with risks to the patient posed by anesthesia and infection, as well as significant expense and recovery time. Many patients do not feel the benefits of GSV stripping outweigh the drawbacks.

As a result, non-invasive endovenous ablation of the GSV is steadily growing in popularity; however, the procedure has only been widely used within the last decade, so its success rates have not been thoroughly reported or analyzed. Dr. Bergan noted, "Those who report results have not used the life table method which takes into consideration dropouts and early and mid-term failures." He also raised other vital considerations, such as the initial and ongoing costs of equipment and disposables, reimbursement and procedure time, the availability of experienced ultrasound equipment operators, and the practitioner's own level of expertise and comfort.

According to Dr. Bergan, foam sclerotherapy provides the ultimate solution to these problems: it is non-invasive, requiring only local anesthetic and a short recovery time; it is already the therapy of choice for recurrent varicosities; and it does not have a high start-up or supply cost. Bergan added, "It is for these reasons that it can be expected that foam sclerotherapy will replace open surgery and the other minimally invasive techniques."

While agreeing that foam sclerotherapy is effective, Dr. Jose I. Almeida of the Miami Vein Center and Voluntary Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine asserted that other therapies still have a vital place among varicose vein treatment options. "As a single modality, limitations do exist; common examples are saphenous veins greater than 12 mm in diameter, perforating veins greater than 4 mm in diameter, and huge chronic varicosities on the skin surface. Foam sclerotherapy is inadequate for these conditions as a stand alone treatment. When thermal ablation and phlebectomy are used in combination with foam therapy, most superficial venous problems can be treated successfully with a single treatment session," Dr. Almeida said.

About VEITHsymposium™: Now entering its fourth decade, VEITHsymposium™ provides vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, interventional cardiologists and other vascular specialists with a unique and exciting format to learn the most current information about what is new and important in the treatment of vascular disease. The 5-day event features 300 rapid-fire presentations from world renowned vascular specialists with emphasis on the latest advances, changing concepts in diagnosis and management, pressing controversies and new techniques.

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