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Review
. 2020 Apr 11;12(4):e7640.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.7640.

The Effectiveness of Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation Application in Varicose Vein Diseases of the Lower Extremity

Fehimcan Sevil  1 , Abdurrahim Colak Jr  2 , Münacettin Ceviz  2 , Uğur Kaya  2 , Necip Becit  3
Affiliations
Review

The Effectiveness of Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation Application in Varicose Vein Diseases of the Lower Extremity

Fehimcan Sevil et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

We aimed to determine the outcome, complications, and quality of life effects of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of superficial venous insufficiency. A total of 134 extremities from 100 patients were evaluated in this retrospective study performed at the Cardiovascular Surgery Department of Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine. Treatment success was determined by occlusion. The clinical, etiologic, anatomic, and pathophysiologic (CEAP) and venous clinical severity score (VCSS) scores of patients were assessed pre- and postoperatively to evaluate clinical outcome and quality of life. The pain was assessed with the Wong-Baker score. Complications and their frequency were assessed and recorded. Treatment success, as measured by occlusion rate, was 99% percent. Prior to treatment, the CEAP clinical score was C2 (81.0%), while after treatment, it was C0 (54.0%) (p<0.001). The pretreatment median VCSS score was 5 (min-max: 1-9) while the post-treatment median was 1 (min-max: 1-3) (p<0.001). The mean pain score was 1.34; only one patient reported a score of 6 while the minimum score was 1. A total of 15 complications occurred; only one was a major complication (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) while the remaining 14 were minor complications. While longstanding surgical treatments still provide significant success, the RFA technique not only surpasses them in success rate but also in terms of pain, complications, and better patient satisfaction. The results of our study indicate that RFA is an effective and safe option for the treatment of superficial venous insufficiency.

Keywords: occlusion; radiofrequency ablation; varicose vein.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. View of the saphenous vein after RF ablation
RF: radiofrequency
Figure 2
Figure 2. Placed view of the catheter during the operation
Figure 3
Figure 3. Image of RFA catheter in VSM
Red point: great saphenous vein; Green point: RFA catheter RFA: radiofrequency ablation
Figure 4
Figure 4. Pre and postoperative view
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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