Foam treatment for varicose veins
31 Oct 2011 by Evoluted New Media
Varicose veins can be unsightly and agonising, and just as painful to remove but foam injections could provide a cheaper, pain-free method to treating the condition.
Foam sclerotherapy – developed by researchers at Imperial College London – involves injecting foam into the affected vein, which inflames the lining of the wall and seals the vessel. In a trial of 100 patients who were randomly treatment options, foam sclerotherapy was shown to be twice as quick and cost four times less than the currently preferred treatment of endovenous laser ablation (EVLA).
“This is the first time that anyone in the NHS compared foam and laser treatments to see which is better value for money,” said Christopher Lattimer, from the department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial. “Foam treatment is also quicker, less painful and had people back to normal activity in shorter time.”
The NHS carries out approximately 36,209 varicose vein procedures each year. Some patients are treated using EVLA – in which a laser wire delivers short bursts of energy to seal the vein closed. Others require the vein to be stripped out during surgery – the affected vein is tied off through a cut in the groin, and pulled out by a lower cut in the leg
“Because varicose veins are so common, the NHS has to spend a lot of money of treatments each year,” George Geroulakos said. “If more people are treated with foam injections instead of surgery or laser treatments, the potential savings could be enormous. This sort of research is hugely important at a time when budgets are under such strain.”
Varicose veins form when the valves in the vein stop working properly, causing the vein to swell and while they don’t pose a serious health problem, they can cause aching, itching, swelling and leg ulcers in severe cases.
