Mini-invasive foam sclerotherapy-assisted ligation versus surgical flush ligation for incompetent sapheno-popliteal junction treatment.

Objectives Comparison of a flush sapheno-popliteal junction ligation versus a mini-invasive foam sclerotherapy-assisted ligation. Methods Forty-eight chronic venous disease patients underwent sapheno-popliteal junction flush ligation (group A). Forty-one patients underwent small saphenous vein ligation by means of mini-invasive incision with foam sclerotherapy of the popliteal stump (group B). Results At 4.1 +/- 3.3 years mean follow-up, sapheno-popliteal junction recurrence was detected in four patients of group A (4/48; 8.3%) and in two cases of group B (3/41; 7.3%) (P=ns). Mean procedural time was 36 +/- 11 minutes versus 21 +/- 6 minutes (p<0.0001). A mild post-operative paresthesia lasting more than 24 h was reported in 6.3% (3/48) of group A versus 2.4% (1/41) (p<0.009) of group B. At one-year check-up, Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire significantly improved in both groups with no significant difference between group A and B. Conclusions Foam-assisted mini-invasive sapheno-popliteal ligation represents a time and clinical-effective option, associated with a decrease in post-operative paresthesia risk.