What is Foam Sclerotherapy?
Foam sclerotherapy is an emulsion of the same drug that we use for conventional sclerotherapy. It appears to have much greater clinical effect on the inner wall of veins. It suffers less dilution from blood and perhaps displaces blood rather than simply mixing with it. The results are very positive probably due to greater drug-vessel wall surface contact. This procedure provides outstanding results with less concentrated drug requirements. This often leads to faster results with less treatment sessions. Foam sclerotherapy works extremely well on larger vessels in conjunction with ultrasound guided injections.
Foam sclerotherapy is a technique developed and perfected in Europe and involves making concentrated foam out of the typical detergent used in schlerotherapy. It is used in conjunction with an ultrasound machine which allows it to be delivered precisely to the abnormal vessel. Under direct visualization the vessel closes after it is injected with foam and it becomes inactive and eventually is resorbed by the body. This procedure works in a variety of situations and is safe and highly effective.
Foam sclerotherapy is a technique that has been used for many years as an alternative to surgery bu a small number of surgeons and in now becoming more widely available. It involves injection of a special foam into the vein using ultrasound as a guide. The foam causes the vein to shrink and the walls to stick together. The advantage of foam sclerotherapy is that is id done as an outpatient procedure, it is quick, requires no anaesthetic and works well in the majority of cases.
