• Chien-Hsun Chen, Cheng-Sheng Chiu, and Chih-Hsun Yang.
• Department of Dermatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
• Dermatol Surg. 2012 Jun 1; 38 (6): 851-7.

BackgroundVaricose veins of the lower leg is a common disease and is associated with long-term morbidity. It has been treated using high ligation with stripping and endovenous laser surgery of the great saphenous vein (GSV).ObjectivesTo investigate the clinical outcomes of GSV insufficiency after ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) using 3% sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS).MethodsBetween 2005 and 2009, patients with symptomatic varicose veins secondary to GSV insufficiency were enrolled; 3% STS foam was injected into the GSV under ultrasound visualization. Ultrasound examinations and clinical follow-up were performed at 3- to 6-month intervals. Follow-up visits continued through April 2011.ResultsTwo hundred 88 limbs of 233 patients were enrolled. The mean follow-up interval was 37.8 months. Occlusion was achieved for 89.6% of the incompetent veins in two sessions of UGFS. The mean number of therapy sessions per leg was 1.53. The internal diameters of the treated veins reduced to 66.9% 3 months and 32.7% at 12 months.ConclusionsUGFS is effective in sealing incompetent GSV segments. It is a minimally invasive procedure and can be redone several times in cases of recurrence. UGFS is simpler and less painful than stripping surgery and endovenous laser treatment.© 2012 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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