Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Apr;30(4):e13652.
doi: 10.1111/srt.13652.

Compression Therapy after Thermal Ablation of Varicose Veins: A Meta-Analysis

Li Su  1 , Ling Zhang  1 , Tao Yuan  1 , Li-Ping Ji  1 , Meng Liu  1 , Rong-Zhen Li  1 , Hai-Ling Lv  1 , Shu-Yun Guo  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Compression Therapy after Thermal Ablation of Varicose Veins: A Meta-Analysis

Li Su et al. Skin Res Technol. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether compression therapy after thermal ablation of varicose veins can improve the prognosis of patients.

Methods: Systematic research were applied for Chinese and English electronic databases(PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP Databases). Eligible prospective studies that comparing the efficacy of compression therapy and non-compression therapy on patients after thermal ablation of varicose veins were included. The interest outcome such as pain, quality of life (QOL), venous clinical severity score (VCSS), time to return to work and complications were analyzed.

Results: 10 studies were of high quality, and randomized controlled trials involving 1,545 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. At the same time, the meta-analysis showed that the application of compression therapy improved pain (SMD: -0.51, 95% CI: -0.95, -0.07) but exhibited no statistically significant effect on QOL (SMD: 0.04, 95% CI: -0.08, 0.16), VCSS (MD: -0.05, 95% CI: -1.19, 1.09), time to return to work (MD: -0.43, 95% CI: -0.90, 0.03), total complications (RR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.27, 1.09), and thrombosis (RR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.31, 1.62).

Conclusion: Compression therapy after thermal ablation of varicose veins can slightly relieve pain, but it has not been found to be associated with improvement in other outcomes.

Keywords: Compression Therapy; Endovenous Thermal Ablation; Systematic Review; Varicose Veins.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Not applicable.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow chart of literature screening.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Risk of bias of included studies.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Effect of compression therapy on patients’ pain.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Effect of compression therapy on patients’ QOL.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Effect of compression therapy on VCSS.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Effect of compression therapy on time to return work.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Effect of compression therapy on time to total complication and thrombosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Rasmussen LH, Lawaetz M, Bjoern L, Vennits B, Blemings A, Eklof B. Randomized clinical trial comparing endovenous laser ablation, radiofrequency ablation, foam sclerotherapy and surgical stripping for great saphenous varicose veins. Br J Surg. 2011;98(8):1079‐1087. doi:10.1002/bjs.7555 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tenbrook JA Jr, Iafrati MD, O'donndl TF Jr, et al. Systematic review of outcomes after surgical management of venous disease incorporating subfascial endoscopic perforator surgery. J Vasc Surg. 2004;39(3):583‐589. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2003.09.017 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Biemans AA, Kockaert M, Akkersdijk GP, et al. Comparing endovenous laser ablation, foam sclerotherapy, and conventional surgery for great saphenous varicose veins. J Vasc Surg. 2013;58(3):727‐734.e1.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2012.12.074. Epub 2013 Jun 13 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wallace T, El‐Sheikha J, Nandhra S, et al. Long‐term outcomes of endovenous laser ablation and conventional surgery for great saphenous varicose veins. Br J Surg. 2018;105(13):1759‐1767. doi:10.1002/bjs.10961. Epub 2018 Aug 22 - DOI - PubMed
    1. National Clinical Guideline Centre (UK; ). Varicose veins in the legs: the diagnosis and management of varicose veins. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK); 2013 Jul (NICE Clinical Guidelines, no. 168.) Available from: /[Accessed 15 March 2021]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK264166 - PubMed

Publication types