Sclerotherapy for leg varicose veins - Institute of Health Economics

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... i
Abbreviations/Glossary ............................................................................................................. ii
Executive Summary..................................................................................................................... v
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1
Scope ...............................................................................................................................................1
Background....................................................................................................................................2
Varicose veins..........................................................................................................................2
Treatment .................................................................................................................................3
Sclerotherapy .................................................................................................................................4
Patient selection.......................................................................................................................5
Sclerosing agents.....................................................................................................................5
Techniques ...............................................................................................................................6
Provider qualifications ...........................................................................................................7
Side effects and complications ..............................................................................................8
Regulatory approval and coverage ......................................................................................8
Available Evidence on Efficacy/Effectiveness and safety......................................................9
Reviewed RCTs .....................................................................................................................10
Systematic reviews................................................................................................................12
Upcoming Research..............................................................................................................14
Consensus Documents and Guidelines ...................................................................................15
Expert Opinion and Clinical practice.......................................................................................16
Clinical Practice.....................................................................................................................17
Discussion ....................................................................................................................................18
Conclusions..................................................................................................................................20
Appendix A: Methodology.......................................................................................................23
Appendix B: Sclerosing Agents.................................................................................................27
Appendix C: Reported Results and Methodological Quality
of Reviewed RCTs................................................................................................30
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
Health Technology Assessment Unit
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