MP Heart Clinic

Foam Sclerotherapy for Varicose Veins

What is sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy is a procedure used to treat and help improve the appearance of varicose veins. In this procedure, a solution is injected into the veins, this damages the internal lining of the vein making it smaller and hence less visible. With time, the vein disappears.

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins are basically enlarged veins. Most commonly legs and feet are affected. Most commonly they cause cosmetic concern for patients.

What solution is injected?

The solution is called sodium tertradecylsulphate(STD)

What is foam sclerotherapy?

In foam sclerotherapy, small volumes of the solution are by rapidly mixing with a small volumes of air and then injected under ultrasound control.

Is it painful?

The procedure can cause some discomfort. Local Anesthetics are used to minimize any pain involved.

Varicose Veins

Varicose veins are a chronic and progressive condition. A varicose vein, specifically, is an abnormal dilation of a subcutaneous vein. This expansion is generally caused by a loss of tonicity in the vein wall that leads to reflux within the vein- in simple words, blood can no longer go back to the heart. This is often called superficial venous insufficiency.

Below are given some frequently asked questions about Varicose Veins:

Q. What causes varicose veins?

There are different causes for the loss of this tone, but mainly, it is heredity. People with no family history have a 20% chance of developing varicose vein. The chances exceed to 44% if only one parent suffers from varicose vein and more than 70% if both parents have them.

Other factors include age, ethnicity, gender, excess weight, posture, occupation, and hormonal changes.

Q. How can varicose veins be treated?

Depending on the size and causes, varicose veins can be treated differently. The common treatment techniques for varicose veins are:

• Saphenectomy (surgery) or endovenous laser treatment
• Ambulatory phlebectomy (surgery)
• Echosclerosis
• Sclerotherapy

Q. Can I go home the same day?

With the emergence of effective outpatient procedures, such as scelerotherapy, laser therapy and radiofrequency, the patient cannot just be in and out of the clinic in an hour or two, but he/she can get back to work and regular activities immediately.

Your doctor may suggest you to avoid strenuous work two days but otherwise your recovery in almost nonexistent.

Q. Does the treatment need anesthesia?

Absolutely not! With the advancement of painless and outpatient procedures, surgery is hardly considered to treat varicose veins. Therefore, the anesthesia and overnight stay are not needed.