Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy
Ultrasound guided sclerotherapy technique involves injecting a sclerosing substance, a mild detergent solution, directly into the varicose vein using a very fine needle. The procedure takes about 15 to 30 minutes.
An ultrasound is used to track the foam which makes sure that foam enters the varicose veins and not normal veins. The target veins are compressed by bandage and a surgical stocking is placed over this bandage. The sclerosing solution irritates the lining of the blood vessel causing the vein to swell and stick together. Over time, the venous blemishes turn into scar tissue and may disappear.
The advantages of using Ultrasound guided sclerotherapy is that it requires no incision, less time for recovery, no scar formation and does not require an overnight stay in the hospital.
Sclerotherapy injection may cause certain side effects such as itching, bruising, inflammation, appearance of brown lines, or development of new blood vessels at the site of injection. If the injection is done to larger veins, the veins may become hard and lumpy. These untoward effects may last for few days and disappear later. |
