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Objectives: In recent years ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) has become an increasingly popular treatment for varicose veins. Although many published series detail the results of UGFS, little is known about the factors which are associated with outcomes and complications. The aim of this study was to identify these factors., Design: A review of a prospectively collected database of UGFS which commenced in July 2007., Methods: A successful outcome was defined as complete occlusion of the target vein on duplex scanning at follow-up. Eight factors were assessed to determine whether they were associated with outcomes and complications. These factors were age, gender, compliance with post-procedure compression hosiery, previous varicose vein surgery, single or multiple sites of injection, concentration of sclerosant, volume of sclerosant and pre-procedure severity score., Results: Between July 2007 and July 2009, a total of 126 patients (60 men, 66 women) attended follow-up visits and had a post-procedure duplex scan. Targets for UGFS included the great saphenous vein (n = 75), small saphenous vein (n = 13) and anterior accessory great saphenous vein (n = 8). The remainder of procedures involved other veins or more than a single target vein. The median timing of follow-up was 3 months (range 1.5-14 months) with duplex scans revealing complete occlusion of the target vein in 79% of patients. The only factor associated with a successful outcome was compliance with post-procedure compression hosiery (p < 0.05). The most frequently encountered complications following UGFS were skin staining (28%), superficial thrombophlebitis (18%) and pain (14%). The only factor associated with post-UGFS complications was female gender (p < 0.05). When complications were analysed in isolation female gender was also significantly associated with skin staining (p < 0.05), but no other complication., Conclusions: These data suggest that compliance with post-procedure compression hosiery and gender are important factors associated with a successful outcome and reported complications following UGFS, respectively., (Copyright 2010 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: internal carotid artery (ICA) plication prevents kinking and secures the distal intimal step following carotid endarterectomy (CEA). The aims of this prospective study were to quantify the proportion of patients in whom plication might be beneficial and determine whether plication is associated with an increased incidence of early restenosis and a reduction in postoperative thromboembolic complications., Methods: analysis of a prospectively gathered computerised database., Results: between 1 November 1992 and 31 December 1997, 228 consecutive CEAs were performed in 213 patients, of which 84 (37%) in 79 patients were plicated. Sixty endarterectomy sites have been examined by duplex ultrasonography at a median of 5 (range 1-44) months postoperatively. No abnormality was detected in 52 (87%), six (10%) had restenosis of <50% and two (3%) restenosis of 50-75%. All were asymptomatic. Three patients (3. 6%), one of whom died, had an intraoperative neurological event and one patient (1.2%) had a postoperative cerebral haemorrhage. No patient suffered ICA thromboembolism. During the same time period 144 non-plicated CEAs were performed in 134 patients. Of these, one (0.7%) had an intraoperative and five (3.5%) had a postoperative neurological event. Five of these six complications were due to ICA thromboembolism. There was no mortality in the non-plicated group., Conclusion: ICA plication can be used to prevent kinking, secure the distal intimal step, has not, to date, been associated with increased early restenosis rate and has avoided postoperative ICA thromboembolism., (Copyright 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.)