RESUMO
Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of two different injection ways in treating lower extremity varicose veins with foam sclerotherapy of lauromacrogol. Methods During the period from Dec. 2010 to Dec. 2012 a total of 80 patients with clinically-proved lower extremity varicosis were admitted to authors’ hospital. The patients were randomly and equally divided into two groups:anterograde group (n=40) and retrograde group (n=40). For patients of anterograde group, under fluoroscopy guidance the needle was directly punctured into the distal end of the varicose vein with subsequent injection of 1%lauromacrogol foam sclerosing agent, while for patients of retrograde group the opposite femoral vein was punctured by using Seldinger technique, then a catheter was inserted into the proximal part of the great saphenous vein of the diseased side, and 1%lauromacrogol foam sclerosing agent was injected into the varicose vein. The operation time, recovery time, the dosage of the sclerosing agent used, the incidence of complications and the use of additional treatment were recorded, and the results were statistically analyzed. All the patients were followed up for 3 - 6 months. Results No significant difference in the overall effective rate existed between the two groups at 3-6 months after the treatment (P>0.05). The preoperative and postoperative CEAP scores of the anterograde group were 3.70 ± 0.63 and 0.88 ± 1.18 respectively, while the preoperative and postoperative CEAP scores of the retrograde group were 3.73 ± 0.59 and 0.88 ± 1.27 respectively. The difference in CEAP score between preoperative values and postoperative ones was statistically significant in both anterograde group and retrograde group (P < 0.05). Besides, the differences in the operation time, recovery time, the dosage of the sclerosing agent used, the incidence of complications and the use of additional treatment between the two groups were also statistically significant. Conclusion In treating lower extremity varicose veins with foam sclerotherapy of lauromacrogol, the overall effectiveness of anterograde injection and retrograde injection is quite the same. As each injection way has its own advantages and disadvantages, the therapeutic scheme should be individualized for each patient.