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Abstract
Familiarity with the diagnosis and treatments of SD can help prevent complications such as venous ulcers (VUs), which have a considerable impact on healthcare costs and patients. 2 Prevalence and Economic Impact SD was found in 1.4% of 773 individuals in a study of patients aged >15 years with varicose veins [1, 2]. Open surgical techniques (saphenofemoral junction ligation with stripping) have long been the interventional therapy for treating the VR; however, they have been rapidly replaced with minimally invasive techniques: endovenous thermal ablation, ambulatory phlebectomy, and ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy, which provide less postoperative pain and complications, quicker recovery times, and are more cost effective (Fig. 6a, b) [64-68]. Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of foam sclerotherapy, endovenous laser ablation and surgery for varicose veins: results from the Comparison of Laser, Surgery and foam Sclerotherapy (CLASS) randomised controlled trial. Rasmussen LH, Lawaetz M, Bjoern L, Vennits B, Blemings A, Eklof B. Randomized clinical trial comparing endovenous laser ablation, radiofrequency ablation, foam sclerotherapy and surgical stripping for great saphenous varicose veins.
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1 University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
2 Departments of Dermatology and Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
3 Department of Dermatology, University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston, 6655 Travis St, Ste 980, Houston, TX 77030, USA