Single‐Center Experience with Foam Sclerotherapy without Ultrasound Guidance for Treatment of Varicose Veins

BACKGROUND Varicose veins are a common disorder and many treatment methods are available. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the short‐term efficacy of foam sclerotherapy and the safety of performing the treatment in an outpatient clinic without ultrasound guidance. METHODS This was a prospective, nonrandomized study with foam sclerotherapy. All the patients were assessed before and after the procedure with a CEAP (Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, Pathology) class and clinical score. At the same visit, duplex scanning was performed to evaluate the anatomic distribution of the varicose disease. The mean age of the patients was 49.2 years (SD,±10.6 years; median, 50.0 years). Altogether 41% of the legs had undergone a previous operation and 24% were recurrences. The follow‐up time was 3 months. RESULTS Twenty‐five patients with 27 legs were treated successfully using foam sclerotherapy without ultrasound guidance. Twenty‐one cases (78%) involved the great saphenous vein and 6 cases (22%) involved the small saphenous vein. The mean bandage time was 7.7 days (SD,±2.50 days; median, 8.50 days). The CEAP score decreased 73% after the procedure from 2.61 (SD,±0.80; median, 2.0) to 0.71 (SD,±0.95; median, 0; p