Sclerotherapy

Also called obliteration, sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure for treating varicose veins, in which a sclerosant is injected to obliterate and eliminate pathological (diseased) veins. Sclerotherapy is a method that has long proved its worth in the ambulatory treatment of varicose veins of all sizes – trunk, side branch, and perforating varicose veins as well as reticular varicose veins and spider veins.

The principle is simple: using a fine needle, the sclerosant – as either a liquid or foam – is injected directly into the diseased vein. Inside the varicose vein, the sclerosant reacts with the vein wall. The body’s natural processes cause the vein walls to stick together and close off the vein, so that blood can no longer pool in the diseased vessel. The body slowly converts the obliterated vein into connective tissue and it disappears with time. The functional result of sclerotherapy is equivalent to that of surgery for varicose veins.
These treated veins are not needed for transporting the blood back to the heart. After treatment, the blood returns to the heart without any problem via the deep vein system.

Depending on the number and size of veins to be treated, more than one treatment session may be needed for optimal success. Sclerotherapy is the treatment of choice for spider veins and reticular veins and is also called micro-sclerotherapy. With larger varicose veins, foam is often used instead of a liquid sclerosant, as sclerosant foam has an even more powerful effect. Foam sclerotherapy of trunk varicose veins is a good and cost-effective alternative to surgical procedures and to laser or radiofrequency ablation therapy.

The unattractive varicose veins can be removed by sclerotherapy on an outpatient basis without the use of lasers, surgery, or a general anaesthesia. Treatment is effective, safe, and usually painless.

After sclerotherapy, patients can resume their normal daily activities immediately and return to work without delay.

In addition, sclerotherapy is an effective treatment for haemorrhoids and varicose veins of the oesophagus.