Phlebology > Volume 23, Number 1 > Pp. 10-14

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Original article

Is there a risk for lymphatic complications after endovenous laser treatment versus cryostripping of the great saphenous vein? A prospective study

B C V M Disselhoff ^* , D J der Kinderen  and F L Moll 

^* Department of Surgery; Department of Dermatology, Mesos Medical Centre, Utrecht; Division of Vascular Surgery, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Correspondence: B C V M Disselhoff MD, Department of Surgery, Mesos Medical Centre, Van Heuven Goedhartlaan 1, 3527 CE, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Email: bcvmdisselhoff{at}mesos.nl

Objective: To investigate whether lymphatic complications occur after endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) versus cryostripping.

Methods: A prospective analysis of patients who underwent lymphoscintigraphy before and six months after treatment of primary varicose veins.

Results: Of 120 patients randomized in a clinical trial comparing EVLT and cryostripping, 33 agreed to participate in this study. Six months after treatment, none of the 17 patients treated with EVLT and one (6.3%) of the 16 patients treated with cryostripping had clinical grade 1 lymphoedema, with marked disruption of the lymphatics around the knee. This patient also showed an abnormal uptake of radioactive tracer at the groin, 120 min after injection.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that no lymphatic complications occurred six months after EVLT, whereas one lymphatic complication occurred after cryostripping, however not in the groin but at the knee.

Key Words: Great saphenous vein • endovenous laser treatment • lymphatic complications

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