To compare the medium and short-term clinical effects of X-Ray-guided foam sclerotherapy with two different concentrations of Polidocanol in the treatment of lower-extremity varicose veins.

Seventy-four patients with simple varicose great saphenous vein (GSV) , who were hospitalized in the Panyu District Central Hospital of Guangzhou between December 2015 and March 2016, were determined by prospective analysis and randomly divided into group A (low concentration group, n=37, using 1% Polidocanol) and group B (high concentration group, n=37, using 1% Polidocanol) . The foam was prepared by using Polidocanol and air in the ratio of 1∶4. All patients were followed up at 3 months and 1 year after the operation. The main outcome measure was the occlusion of varicose veins and the absence of saphenous reflux. The color Doppler ultrasonography was used to examine the target vessel occlusion and absence of GSV reflux. Questionnaire was used for the statistical analysis of the incidence of adverse reactions and CIVIQ scores.

At 3 months after the operaion, the incidences of occlusion rate, absence of reflux rate and incidence of pigmentation in group B were all higher than those in group A (89.2% vs 75.0%, 91.9% vs 83.3%, 67.6% vs 32.4%, all P<0.05) , whereas the CIVQ score was lower than that in group A (P<0.01) . There were no statistically significant differences in the indexes between the two groups at 1 year after the operation (P>0.05) .

The short-term effect of high-concentration Polidocanol (at 3 months after the operation) is significant compared with that of low-concentration Polidocanol, but may increase in incidence of pigmentation. There is no significant difference in the medium-term effect (at 1 year after the operation) between the two concentrations of Polidocanol.

Saphenous vein; Varicose vein; Prospective study