PROMISING RESULTS OF ULTRASOUND GUIDED FOAM SCLEROTHERAPY FOR TREATING CHRONIC VENOUS ULCERS.

Abstract

Background: Despite advances in wound care, the dressing and management of chronic ulcers on lower limbs (LL) remains unsatisfactory. The simplicity, cost-efficiency, and diverse application possibilities of ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy make it an attractive and effective approach to treat patients with no access or contraindications to more invasive methods.

Objective: To evaluate the healing rate of chronic venous ulcers (CEAP C6) in patients treated with ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy.

Method: From January 2018 to December 2020, 279 patients (336 legs) classified at the first consultation as stage 6 for CEAP (clinical, etiological, anatomical, pathophysiological classification) were followed during treatment of axial venous reflux in saphenous and tributary veins with Polidocanol (Aethosxysklerol^R) foam and evaluated at 52 weeks for complete healing rates or ≥ 50% ulcer size reduction, using Kaplan-Meier statistics and Cox regression to study the influence of covariates.

Results: Average age of the 279 patients was 55 years. Of these, 156 (56%) showed complete healing in 52 weeks and 89 (32%) had a wound area reduction above 50%. Ulcer size severity, lymphedema and reduced dorsiflexion of the ankle were significantly associated with healing difficulty. Time of ulcer progression up to beginning of treatment (p < 0.01), ulcer size (p = 0.01), lymphedema (p = 0.006), reduced dorsiflexion of the ankle (p = 0.01) and age equal to or greater than 65 years (p = 0.003) were significantly associated with difficulty in healing. Patients with a mean Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) of 18.7 had a better prognosis (18.7 vs 22.5; p<0.001).

Conclusion: Most patients with chronic venous ulcers (CEAP 6) treated with foam sclerotherapy achieved healing or significant improvement within 52 weeks. Healing was highly influenced by time until treatment, ulcer size, reduced dorsiflexion of the ankle and/or lymphedema presence and use of compression therapy.