| Summary: | The objective of this research is to investigate the role of ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) in the treatment of chronic venous disease (CVD). UGFS was found to be a safe and effective treatment for both primary and recurrent great saphenous vein (GSV) and small saphenous vein (SSV) incompetence, assessed by occlusion of treated veins on duplex ultrasound (DUS), and by disappearance of visible varicose veins (VV) on clinical examination. There was some evidence that healing of chronic venous ulcers (CVU) may be improved by UGFS when combined with compression bandaging. When compared with patients undergoing superficial venous surgery (SVS), UGFS was associated with significantly less pain, bruising and analgesia requirement, and a quicker return to work and driving. Significant improvements in both generic physical and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQL)were observed following UGFS, and were sustained for 12 months after treatment. UGFS significantly improved lower limb physical symptoms (pain, itching, restlessness, swelling, heaviness, cramp and tingling), cosmetic appearance, and provided life-style benefits in the majority of patients. Furthermore, the great majority of patients who expected such benefits had their expectations met or exceeded.
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