How Effective is Sclerotherapy for Varicose Veins?

A varicose vein is a medical condition that presents with enlarged, swollen, twisted, bluish-purple veins typically seen in your lower legs. These appear as a result of venous insufficiency when the walls of your veins stretch 3 to 5 times more than normal and affect the blood flow through them. The one-way valve system is disturbed which causes the blood to flow backward and as a result, leads to the pooling of blood in the affected vein. This increases the pressure within them making them bulge and giving a spider web appearance that is visually unaesthetic. Aging, family history, pregnancy, obesity (being overweight) and prolonged standing or sitting can lead to the development of varicose veins. 

Currently, there have been several advanced minimally-invasive (less traumatic) procedures that successfully help to treat varicose veins, and one such treatment is Sclerotherapy. But, how effective is sclerotherapy for varicose veins? Let’s find out!

What is Sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy is a medical procedure that is used to treat varicose veins that involves injecting a solution (usually a salt solution) directly into the affected vein. The injected solution irritates the lining of the vein, which leads to its collapse, and the vein eventually sticks together. Over a period of time, the vein turns into scar tissue that fades away gradually. There are several types of sclerotherapy which include

• Liquid sclerotherapy: This procedure involves injecting the irritant chemical solution (sclerosant) into the affected vein.
• Foam sclerotherapy: This procedure involves injecting a foam (small volumes of a chemical solutions are converted into foam by rapid mixing with a small volume of air) into the affected vein.
• Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy: This involves using ultrasound-guided images to locate the affected vein that is not visible to the naked eye, to inject the sclerosant.
• Micro-sclerotherapy: This procedure uses tiny needles to inject the sclerosant directly into the affected vein.

How Effective is Sclerotherapy for Varicose Veins?

There have been multiple research studies conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of sclerotherapy for treating varicose veins. 

1. A study published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery in 2008, found that sclerotherapy had a success rate of 80 to 90% and that the procedure was well-tolerated with minimal post-op complications.
2. The Journal of Dermatologic Surgery 2009 published another study and concluded that sclerotherapy was an effective treatment for varicose veins with a success rate of 80 to 90%. The study also found patients exhibited a significant improvement in symptoms like aching, swelling and heaviness in the legs.
3. In 2012, another study was published in the Journal of Dermatology, which showed sclerotherapy was effective with a success rate as high as 80 to 95%.
4. A recent study that was conducted and published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology 2020 found that foam sclerotherapy (a type of sclerotherapy that involves injecting a foam solution into the affected vein, which leads to the collapse of that vein, and eventually disappears) was safer, and effective with high success rate than liquid sclerotherapy. 

However, it is important to know that sclerotherapy cannot permanently cure varicose veins, where new veins may appear over time and may turn varicose. Even though sclerotherapy is considered a safe procedure, it may not be suitable for everyone, especially for:

• Pregnant women
• Patients with DVT (deep vein thrombosis- a type of blood clot that is life-threatening)
• Patients with blood disorders
• Patient with a history of allergic reaction to the injected solution (sclerosant solution)
• Patients with active skin infection near the site of varicose vein that needs treatment
• Patients with a history of keloid scarring

Currently, there are new techniques that are more advanced than sclerotherapy like Radiofrequency Ablation, and Endovenous Laser Therapy. Your healthcare professional will assess your varicose veins’ size, extent and overall health to determine the best course of treatment for your vein condition. 

What are the Benefits of Sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy is a safe and effective procedure with the following benefits:

• It does not require anaesthesia. Paon, discomfort and bruising are managed by compression from the bandage.
• A single session may help you get rid of an estimated 50 to 80% of injected veins.
• For smaller varicose veins, the results of sclerotherapy are seen within 3 to 6 weeks.
• With proper injection technique and solution used, varicose veins may not reappear.

What are the Risks Involved in Sclerotherapy?

Even though sclerotherapy is a safe procedure there are some risks involved, which include the following:

• Larger veins when injected may become hard for several months.
• Brown lines or spots that appear on the skin near the injection site can be permanent.
• Bruising near the injection site lasts for several weeks.
• Allergic reactions to the injected solution (sclerosant) cause swelling and itching.
• Scarring from ulcers or death of the tissue around the treated vein.
• Blood clots or damage in the deep vein system.

Takeaway

Enlarged, twisted, bluish-purple veins commonly seen in your lower legs are known as varicose veins that cause pain, achiness, heaviness and itching in the legs. These are caused due to disturbances in the one-way valve system of the veins causing the pooling of blood and increase in pressure within the affected veins. If the conservative treatment (weight loss, exercise and compression stockings) fails, your surgeon recommends other treatment methods, one such method is sclerotherapy which involves injecting chemical solutions directly into the affected veins. But to know if it is effective you need to discuss it with your surgeon and know all the pros and cons of sclerotherapy.

Our expert team of vascular surgeons at Medfin, are highly qualified and experienced to help you get a treatment that best suits your vein condition.

Disclaimer: 

The content on this site is the copyright of Medfin and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. This should not be considered as a substitute for medical and surgical expertise. Results from any treatments or surgeries are subjective to an individual patient and the type of procedure/ surgery performed. Please seek professional help regarding any medical concerns. Medfin will not be responsible for any act or omission arising from the interpretation of the content present on this page.