Ecoguided ablation with foam: an alternative to the treatment of venous insufficiency in time of pandemic

BACKGROUND: Venous insufficiency has well-defined symptoms with repercussions at the socioeconomic level. The covid pandemic decreed in March 2020 the confinement of the population, leading society to a sedentary lifestyle and weight gain, with aggravation of venous symptoms. Objective(s): To treat patients who did not respond to medical treatment in times of covid, with echo-guided foam ablation of the lesser saphenous vein. METHOD(S): It is an observational, prospective and intervention study. Patients were studied from June to September 2020. Inclusion criteria: all patients who presented symptoms and who presented reflux in the small saphenous vein during the venous Doppler study, greater than 0.5 s and a diameter greater than 4 mm and less than 7 mm. Exclusion criteria: patients who refused to participate in the study, presence of insufficiency of the great saphenous vein with transfer of reflux to the system of the small saphenous vein and those who had an ABI<0.8. RESULT(S): Four hundred patients were studied, 74% were women, with an average age of 57.6. The insufficiency of the lesser saphenous vein was found in 122 (29%), 68% were female;14.7% of the patients did not respond to treatment, and ultrasound-guided sclerosis was performed with foam. At seven days control, 83.3% of patients had the lesser saphenous vein occluded;at fourteen days, 93% of patients had the vein occluded;and 73.3% had the vein with total occlusion at one-year ultrasound control. CONCLUSION(S): Athermal ablation has been found to be a good method for treating small saphenous vein insufficiency, it can be performed in the office without complications. Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA.