[An ultrastructural study of sclerosed varices]

The authors describe the results of treatment by sclerosing injections, seen by electron microscopy, in an animal experiment and using human material from a volunteer. The air block technique was used to study the action of ethoxysclerol and of variglobane on the marginal vein of the rabbit ear up to 60 minutes after injection of the compound and subsequent compression. During this time a pseudo-epithelium developed, consisting of platelets in segments of veins of which the endothelium was damaged by the sclerosing compound. The thrombus which formed subsequently consisted of blood cells, cell debris and fibrin filaments. It is possible by powerful local compression, using the Winner method (1974), to prevent the appearance of a thrombus, in particular in reticular varicosities, which enables the avoidance of recurrences by recanalisation of the thrombus. Various animal experiments were used to study the action of different paravascular administrations of sclerosing compounds on the wall of the rat femoral artery and vein. Following paravascular administration, small doses of compound at low concentration already caused considerable lesions of the walls of the vessels concerned and of nerve myelin fibres. The intra-arterial injection of sclerosing compounds caused very severs local lesions of the arterial wall and embolisation of terminal vessels by dispersal of cell debris into peripheral blood flow. This caused necrosis in the corresponding regions supplied.