Impact of ultrasound-guided polidocanol foam sclerotherapy in patients with venous ulcers

Abstract

Background

Ultrasound-guided polidocanol foam sclerotherapy is used to treat patients with venous ulcers. It is a minimally invasive procedure and is simple to perform, but it has high relapse rates.

Objectives

To report short to medium term results in patients with venous ulcers treated using ultrasound-guided polidocanol foam sclerotherapy.

Methods

A sample of 19 patients who had been treated with ultrasound-guided polidocanol foam sclerotherapy between January 2013 and December 2014 were followed-up. Time taken for ulcers to heal, improvement of clinical symptoms, recanalization of treated veins, and relapse of symptoms and of venous ulcers were analyzed.

Results

Fifteen of the patients analyzed were female (78.9%) and four were male (21.1%). Overall mean age was 53 years. Follow-up times ranged from 448 days to 1,276 days (mean of 791 days). The mean duration of active ulcers was 53 months. At postoperative follow-up assessments, total recanalization was observed in 15.7%, partial recanalization in 21%, and occlusion in 47.3% of the veins that had been treated. There was only one case of ulcer relapse. Analysis of mean Venous Clinical Severity Scores (VCSS) revealed a significant difference from before to after the procedure, with a variation of 11.2 (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy has high rates of therapeutic success and achieves high rates of venous ulcer healing.

Keywords:
sclerotherapy; varicose ulcer; healing; relapse