“Simple” Foam Sclerotherapy

Abstract

Although foam sclerotherapy was reported in 1939 by McAusland, the most popular technique of foam production was described by Tessari in 2001. It is a simple and convenience method in the treatment of varicose veins. We are performing foam sclerotherapy in a standardized way and named it the “simple” foam sclerotherapy.

Patients: Five hundreds and seventy patients with primary varicose veins were underwent foam sclerotherapy at our clinic from January to December 2008.

Methods: Foam sclerotherapy is performed in a standardized manner as following. Puncture of the veins is performed with the patient standing and number of injection sites are three. Concentration of polidocanol is 0.5%. The Tessari method is employed for the generation of foam sclerosant with the mixing ratio of 1+5 for sclerosant plus air.

Results: Simple foam sclerotherapy were performed sixty hundreds and forty three sessions. Average foam volumes injected per treatment session was 8.7 ml (2.5–10 ml). No serious complications were shown.

Conclusion: Simple foam sclerotherapy is a safe and effective treatment method for varicose veins with a low incidence of complications.