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Ultrasound-guided
sclerotherapy
 
Superficial veins of the lower limbs
 Ultrasound-guided
injections are mainly required when the long and short saphenous
veins, their tributaries (offshoots) and the perforator veins
are not working properly.
Nowadays,
only about 5 per cent of patients with large varicose veins require
surgery ("stripping"). Sclerotherapy -
especially Ultrasound-Guided Foam Sclerotherapy
- is effective in treating even very
dilated varicose veins.
Duplex
ultrasound allows us to see and evaluate both the deep and superficial
vein systems, and to diagnose phlebitis (blood clots) as well
as any insufficiency of the system. We can measure the size of
the dilated varicose veins and hear the reflux of the blood
going downwards through the malfunctioning valves of the varicose
veins. Colour Duplex also allows us to visualize this reflux.
 Specialists
in the field generally agree that varicose veins should be injected
from the deeper surface varicose veins to the very superficial
ones, and that the larger veins should be treated before the smaller
ones.
Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy eliminates the point of reflux in a varicose vein by injecting a solution or more recently a sclerosing foam into a precise spot, seen on the image. This produces an inflammation in this part of the
vein, and induces a fibroid, which eventually cause the vein to
close up.
If
performed properly - with the latest equipment - varicose vein
treatment using
Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy
(echosclerotherapy)
rarely produces any serious complications. Side-effects include
bruising and possible inflammation of the vein being treated -
which clears up within one to two weeks. Only a few instances
have been reported of intra-arterial injection or deep-vein thrombophlebitis.
Ultrasound-guided
sclerotherapy has been used all over the world, for the past 15 years, to treat large varicose veins. It is a safe, effective
form of treatment, which produces excellent results and dramatically
reduces the need for vein stripping.
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