[Foam sclerotherapy]

Leg ulcers are often caused by varicose veins, with only little or no tendency to spontaneous healing. Compression therapy is the main treatment for this ailment, but even with optimal compression by short stretch bandages healing rates are rarely better than 70 - 80 % after 6 months. Experience shows, that healing times can be shortened significantly by elimination of superficial venous refluxes. For different reasons varicose vein surgery is rarely performed in patients with open leg ulcers. The increased age of ulcer patients with frequent comorbidities or the fear of an increased intraoperative risk of infection are reasons to avoid an operative elimination of refluxes. Foam sclerotherapy is a simple alternative to an operation, which can be performed irrespective of the existence of a venous leg ulcer.