[Incidents and accidents due to sclerotherapy. Prevention of pigmentation]

Even though sclerotherapy is a method which, in careful and experienced hands, is entirely harmless, the assault on the venous endothelium can, nevertheless, precipitate incidents and accidents, which the authors enumerate briefly in order to pinpoint that of pigmentation. The authors consider that, although this is not certain, venous stasis is responsible for this, venous stasis causing erythrodiapedesis followed by the formation of haemosiderin and the increased activity of the dermic melanocytes, a process which is exacerbated by subjacent inflammation. An axon reflex releasing P substance (Van Euler and Gaddum) modulating the chemical influx on the endothelial receptors in the microcirculation. Prevention will be achieved by combatting the venous hypertension and stasis, and the formation of heamosiderin, melanoids, and the inflammatory process.