Chronic Venous Insufficiency: Microfoam Therapy

Venous insufficiency can be said to encompass all those states in which blood congestion occurs in a region of the body, usually in the legs, caused by an impairment of the venous system that is unable to effectively evacuate the blood content of the tissues.

Clinical manifestations and course of venous insufficiency

The venous congestion that occurs in venous insufficiency and its most frequent cause, varicose veins, progressively causes a series of manifestations, at first not very relevant, such as tiredness and heaviness in the legs, which increase with heat and orthostatic positions and which are relieved with the opposite, rest, walking and cold.

Subsequently, with the passage of time the tissues begin to be affected:

  • Muscle fatigue with a feeling of distension.
  • Edema (in the early stages disappear by keeping the legs elevated).

From this point on, the most important problems begin: the affectation of the tissues themselves:

  • Changes in the pigmentation of the skin
  • Fragility of the skin
  • Increase in temperature
  • Ulcers (usually on the inner side of the ankle (submalleolar)).
  • Local infections
  • Phlebitis
  • Varicorragia

They are important injuries, which generate a great impact on the well-being of people and very prolonged treatments in time.

Causes of chronic venous infection

Venous insufficiency of the lower extremities is a complex disease, whose origin can be very diverse, but due to its frequency, the greatest exponent is varicose dilatations. Specialists in Angiology and Vascular Surgery indicate that approximately 10% of the population suffers from this problem, which means that approximately 3.5 million people in Spain suffer from it.

Varicose veins, as the most frequent cause of venous insufficiency, affect the veins of the superficial venous system of the legs, whose function of carrying blood upwards (towards the heart) has been totally altered, due to the lesions that occur in the venous walls and above all, in its valvular system. There is an inversion in the direction of blood circulation, causing what we call “venous stasis and venous hypertension”.

In the origin of the appearance of varicose veins there are multiple theories, but heredity (genetic transmission) takes a predominant role in all of them, constituting the fundamental factor not only in terms of their appearance, but also in the degree and intensity of their affectation. The profession, lifestyle, sedentary lifestyles, overweight, exposure to heat, etc., make their evolution more rapid.

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Diagnosis of varicose veins

If we talk about varicose veins as what it is, a medical problem, a correct diagnosis must be made as to their origin and topography:

  • Complete medical history
  • Analysis of symptoms
  • Visual signs
  • Adequate exploration

Subsequently, the study is complemented with non-invasive diagnostic techniques, mainly Doppler and Eco-Doppler.

Treatment of varicose veins: Microfoam Therapy

Once the diagnosis has been made, it must be said that practically all patients with varicose veins can be treated effectively, obviously depending on the degree of involvement. Medical treatment is based on two fundamental pillars:

  1. The anti-stasis measures, where we include lifestyle changes (weight control, diet, sports, clothing, footwear, massage, epithelial protection …).
  2. Containment with elastic stockings and pharmacological treatment, where we include veno or lymphovenotonics.

When varicose veins are established and there is an associated insufficiency, conservative medical treatment is not enough to control them, and we must then resort to treatments that attempt to restore the affected circulatory system and prevent its overload. Surgery in its different modalities are:

  • Resective
  • Hemodynamic
  • Supported with laser
  • Radiofrequency
  • Water vapor
  • Sealing with glue

Conventional sclerosis has been practiced for more than 50 years as an occasional treatment for varicose veins. The incorporation of microfoams to our therapeutic arsenal has meant a notable advance in its treatment and at this moment it can constitute a valid and effective alternative to surgery.

Basically, microfoam treatment consists of the direct injection of a substance with the texture of foam into the varicose veins, which in its progression within the venous system, displaces the blood, generates an inflammatory reaction and subsequent fibrosis in the treated segment, which the body subsequently reabsorbs and therefore eliminates.

The result obtained with this treatment, in a good number of cases, is similar to the surgical one, surpassing it in cases where there are tissue lesions. The results are directly related to the correct choice of the type and density of the microfoam and the technique used.