The following is a summary of “Combining Proximal Foam Sclerotherapy and Distal Endovenous Laser Ablation for Recurrent Varicose Vein Treatment,” published in the June 2023 issue of the Dermatologic Surgery by Bossart et al.
Varicose veins with recurrent neovascularization are a common clinical issue. Although endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) has become the standard treatment for truncal veins, newly formed tortuous veins require additional sclerotherapy. A novel laser fiber with an injection channel (nLF) enables simultaneous proximal sclerotherapy and may provide a more effective treatment.
The purpose of this study was to describe their experience with the nLF for the combined EVLA and sclerotherapy treatment of symptomatic recurrent varicose veins. A retrospective single-center cohort study evaluated the outcomes of all patients with symptomatic recurrent varicose veins who were treated with nLF between September 2020 and August 2022. In total, 26 patients who underwent 28 combined EVLA/sclerotherapy procedures with the nLF were analyzed.
In every instance, neovascularizations were treated with sclerotherapy administered through the nLF catheter, followed by laser ablation of the remaining truncal vessels. All follow-up ultrasound examinations revealed persistent complete occlusion and neovascularizations of the treated truncal veins. There were no clinically significant complications observed. Combining proximal foam sclerotherapy and distal EVLA using an nLF to treat symptomatic recurrent varicose veins is safe and efficacious.
