ref. NICE Guidelines Aug 2014 – Link
NICE has made it clear that it is time to change the attitude and offer endothermic/foam/and even surgery for patients who are likely to be struggling with their varicose veins permanently BEFORE going into the compression hosiery option.
This is what they stated, and this is what I used recently in a letter to the GP requesting for funding (the outcome of which is not known yet!):
“Historically surgery and compression therapy were the only treatments available to people with varicose veins, but in recent years other treatments including endothermal ablation and ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy have been developed. These newer therapies are less invasive than surgery, promote faster recovery and need shorter hospital stays.
NICE has made it clear that it is time to change the attitude and offer endothermic/foam/and even surgery for patients who are likely to be struggling with their varicose veins permanently BEFORE going into the compression hosiery option.
This is what they stated, and this is what I used recently in a letter to the GP requesting for funding (the outcome of which is not known yet!):
“Historically surgery and compression therapy were the only treatments available to people with varicose veins, but in recent years other treatments including endothermal ablation and ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy have been developed. These newer therapies are less invasive than surgery, promote faster recovery and need shorter hospital stays.
People with varicose veins are offered treatment with:
- endothermal ablation (in which the veins are closed off using heat)
- or, if endothermal ablation is unsuitable, a treatment called ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (in which the veins are closed off using a chemical foam)
- or, if both endothermal ablation and ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy are unsuitable, surgery to remove the varicose veins.
They should only be offered compression hosiery (stockings designed to improve blood flow by squeezing the legs) as a permanent treatment if none of the other treatments are suitable for them.