 |
Understanding Ultrasound Guided
Foam Sclerotherapy... |
|
|
After an endovenous laser procedure has melted the main incompetent superficial veins there are often incompetent tributary veins which must be dealt with, as these veins can be a source of symptoms and recurrence of varicose veins. They are usually too tortuous—or twisted—to treat with a laser, so Dr. Robelen prefers to treat these veins with ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy is not as effective as endovenous laser treatment. The endovenous laser treatment procedure by itself is about 90% effective at eradicating veins. |
|
| Ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy is about 25–30% effective. It often takes several sessions of injections to achieve the desired result after the main incompetent vein or veins have been treated with the laser. |
|
Treatment Process |
Ultrasound allows
Dr. Robelen to
“see” the veins
under the skin. |
These incompetent tributary veins are under the skin and cannot be seen with the naked eye. Ultrasound allows Dr. Robelen to “see” the veins under the skin and to specifically target therapy. The sclerosant used is a more concentrated version of the sclerosant used to treat spider veins. (This is different from the hypertonic saline, often used in the past, which can be very toxic to tissues if injected outside the vein.) The benefit of these new alcohol-based sclerosants is not just in their better safety profile but the fact that they can be foamed.
The foaming technique was developed in Europe 15 years ago. Foam is created by mixing air with the liquid sclerosant and it has several advantages to straight liquid |
|
| sclerosant. First, foam is easily seen on ultrasound‚ so we can see where it’s going and be very specific in targeting the incompetent tributary veins. Second‚ the foam increases the surface area of the sclerosant which allows for increased contact with the lining of the vein. The increased contact increases the effectiveness of the sclerosant without increasing its toxicity. |
|
Follow-up Treatment |
Compression hose
will be required
after treatment. |
Ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy is performed during the follow-up visits after the endovenous laser procedure. The visits usually take twenty to thirty minutes. Every attempt is made to treat all incompetent tributaries at each visit‚ but there is a limit to how much foamed sclerosant can be used at each session‚ typically no more than ten cubic centimeters (one syringe full). There are no restrictions after ultrasound guided sclerotherapy, however, wearing compression hose is a must. The hose should be worn daily for a minimum of four weeks. |
|
|
Take Action. |
| Contact the Southern Illinois Vein Center to learn more about any of the conditions or treatments discussed on our website, sign up to attend one of our events or view our maps & directions for easy-to-follow instructions for driving to the center nearest you. |
|
| Back to top |
