Injection treatments for varicose vein removal have been used for many years to treat varicose veins.
Two recent developments now allow us to use an injection technique to treat varicose veins that were previously only treatable
by surgery. These are the use of ultrasound to guide the injections and the preparation of the chemical as a foam.
Over the last 10 years or so, the use of foam injections has spread widely
in France, Spain and Italy and more recently the technique is being used in the USA. The treatment can be performed as
a "walk in, walk out" or "lunch hour" procedure.
What is Foam?
The solutions that are injected are exactly the same as those which are
already used to treat varicose veins. These are mixed with air to create a foam which looks a little like hair mousse
or shaving foam. Many scientific studies have shown that this foam is perfectly safe to inject into veins.
The air is rapidly absorbed from the veins leaving the solution to treat the veins.
How does foam work?
Foam pushes the blood out of the way and completely fills the vein. The
lining of the vein is removed by the foam and the treatment starts a healing process. The vein walls stick together
and the channel is closed off. With time the vein is completely absorbed by the body.
The treatment
Treatment is performed in a treatment room and not an operating
theatre. The patient rests comfortably on an examination couch. A small amount of local anaesthetic is used to numb the skin
of the leg and a small needle is inserted into the refluxing vein that is feeding the varicose veins. The position of the
needle is carefully monitored using ultrasound so that the feeder veins are closed.
Foam is then injected and its progress into the feeder veins and varicose
veins is carefully monitored with ultrasound. The whole treatment usually takes no more than 45 minutes.
Finally a firm bandage is applied to the leg. The aim of this is to keep
the veins compressed so that they do not fill with blood when the patient stands up. The bandage is usually worn for a week
followed by an elastic compression stocking for a further week.
When the bandages are removed at the follow-up appointment it is usual to
find that all the varicose veins have been sealed. The leg may be a little bruised at this stage, although this is usually
fairly minor. If any varicose veins have not been completely treated in the first session, they are injected and
bandaged to complete removal of all veins.
If varicose veins are present in both legs, the treatment is given
to one leg at a time with an interval of 1 or 2 weeks.
Who is suitable for foam sclerotherapy?
Most patients with small or moderate size varicose veins can be treated
in this way. Those patients with very extensive large varicose veins are usually best treated by surgery or VNUS Closure to
obtain a more rapid result. Some patients with large veins lying close to the skin are also better treated surgically since
brown discoloration of the skin over the treated vein may occur.
