Sclerosurgical and surgical treatment of patients with lower extremity varicose vein disease: analysis of results in a long-term period of observation

Aim: to analyze and evaluate the long-term results of sclerosurgical and surgical treatment of patients with lower extremity varicose vein disease (VVD). Material and Methods. Diagnostics and treatment findings of 228 patients are presented. The main group consists of 153 patients (189 extremities) after intraoperative trunk catheter sclerotherapy of the great saphenous vein (GSV) with a crossectomy. The comparison group consists of 75 patients (96 extremities) after the GSV phlebectomy by Babcock — Narat. Long-term results (5-9 years) of treatment were evaluated by comparing the quality of life (QL) parameters of patients, the ultrasonic characteristics of venous bed for operated extremities, and the progression of VVD. Results. There was not found any considerable differences in respondents'' QL during the comparison. Duplex ultrasound scanning of the lower extremities in most cases revealed a wide spectrum of pathological ultrasound signs (6 of 13 signs, the differences in which are statistically significant, but not specific for stem sclerotherapy and phlebectomy). Investigation of VVD dynamics after correction of the varicose syndrome revealed three variants of the disease course: regression, lack of dynamics, progression. Conclusion. The effectiveness of sclerosurgical interference in the long-term observation period is comparable with the surgical one, which is confirmed by the total number of positive (good and satisfactory) treatment results after using both methods (93.7 and 81.3% respectively), ultrasound diagnosis results, absence of significant differences in QL of patients.