Duplex guided foam sclerotherapy plus compression for the treatment of chronic venous ulcer

Background and objective: Venous ulcers are the most severe and debilitating sequel of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and venous hypertension. They account for nearly 80% of all lower extremity ulcers, with an overall prevalence of approximately 1-2%. The majority of these patients are otherwise healthy individuals suffering from chronic ulceration during the most productive period of life. Objective: The aim of this work is to prospectively evaluate the using of foam sclerotherapy guided by duplex ultrasound for injection of incompetent perforators to treat venous ulcer. Materials and methods: This study was done on forty patients who were referred to management of chronic venous ulcer. All patients were subjected to: pre-treatment evaluation, Ankle brachial pressure index and venous duplex scan. Results: As regards healing of leg ulcers in the 40 patients under this study: At 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment: 5 ulcers (12.5%), 28 ulcers (70%) and 38 ulcers (95%), respectively had healed completely 3 ulcers had recurred (8%) during the follow up period. Conclusions: Compared to surgical intervention, the relative freedom from serious complications and its evident success, make this the first line treatment for venous ulcer. (C) 2013 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Egyptian Society of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.