Medical Equipment

Background: Minimally invasive techniques such as endovenous laser therapy, radiofrequency ablation, and ultrasoundguided foam sclerotherapy are widely used in the treatment of lower extremity varicosities. These therapies have not yet been compared with surgical ligation and stripping in large randomized clinical trials.

Results: Of the 119 retrieved studies, 64 (53.8%) were eligible and assessed 12, 320 limbs. Average follow-up was 32.2 months. After 3 years, the estimated pooled success rates (with 95% confidence intervals [CI]) for stripping, foam sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, and laser therapy were about 78% (70%-84%), 77% (69%-84%), 84% (75%-90%), and 94% (87%-98%), respectively. After adjusting for follow-up, foam therapy and radiofrequency ablation were as
Effective as surgical stripping (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.12 [95% CI, -0.61 to 0.85] and 0.43 [95% CI, -0.19 to 1.04], respectively). Endovenous laser therapy was significantly more effective compared with stripping (AOR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.40-1.87), foam therapy (AOR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.28-1.75), and radiofrequency ablation (AOR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.15-1.27).
Conclusion: In the absence of large, comparative randomized clinical trials, the minimally invasive techniques appear to be at least as effective as surgery in the treatment of