Resolution of pain associated with varicose and telangiectatic leg veins after compression sclerotherapy

Many patients presenting for treatment of superficial varicosities and telangiectasias on the legs are seeking relief of pain or discomfort in addition to cosmetic improvement. Of 215 sclerotherapy patients, 114 (53%) complained of various painful symptoms involving areas of telangiectasias (vessels 0.1-1 mm in diameter) and varicosities (vessels greater than 1 mm in diameter). In order to determine whether sclerotherapy is effective in reducing leg pain and discomfort, hundreds of patients receiving two or more treatment sessions of compression sclerotherapy with hypertonic saline were surveyed for the pretreatment and post-treatment presence of numerous symptoms associated with telangiectasias and varicosities of the leg. For all symptoms combined, the overall reported relief of pain was 85% (p less than 0.001). Side effects from the treatment were minimal. These results indicate that sclerotherapy for telangiectasias and varicosities is not only a cosmetic procedure but a safe and valuable medical therapeutic modality, highly effective in relieving leg pain and discomfort.