Sclerotherapy

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Sclerotherapy is a procedure used to treat blood vessels or blood vessel malformations (vascular malformations) and also those of the lymphatic system, which are vessels involved in the immune system providing protection against infection. A medicine is injected into the vessels, which makes them shrink. It is suitable for most children and young adults with vascular or lymphatic malformations. In adults, sclerotherapy is often used to treat varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

In Ultrasound-Guided Sclerotherapy, the ultrasound is utilized to visualize the underlying vein so the physician can deliver and monitor the injection.

While much has been written about lasers for the treatment of varicose and spider veins, sclerotherapy (vein injections) continues to remain the standard for eliminating spider veins (telangiectasiae) and smaller varicose leg veins.

In its modern resurgence sclerotherapy has evolved into the most effective and comprehensive tool for the management of large varicose veins and venous malformations. The technique utilizes guidance by ultrasound to inject a “foamed solution of a drug” (foam sclerotherapy). The power of this “liquid tool” in the effective closure of diseased blood vessels is much higher compared to ordinary sclerotherapy. Importantly this technique is minimally invasive, cost effective and could be used repetitively for the long-term management of chronic vascular diseases (varicose veins and venous malformations) unlike major surgical techniques [Media:http://www.phlebologyultrasound.com/images/VideoFiles/Video004.avi]

Proper sclerotherapy must be performed by an experienced health care provider for excellent results to be reliably obtained. Gently and accurately injecting the unwanted veins with a sclerosing solution causes the target vein to immediately shrink, and then dissolve over a period of weeks as the body naturally absorbs the treated vein. Because the sclerosant is injected directly into the vein, there is no damage to the surrounding skin as can be experienced during laser therapy. Unlike a laser, the sclerosing solution additionally closes the "feeder veins" under the skin that are causing the spider veins to form, thereby preventing a recurrence of the spider veins in the treated area.