OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether lymphatic complications occur after endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) versus cryostripping. METHODS: A prospective analysis of patients who underwent lymphoscintigraphy before and six months after treatment of primary varicose veins. RESULTS: Of 120 patients randomized in a clinical trial comparing EVLT and cryostripping, 33 agreed to participate in this study. Six months after treatment, none of the 17 patients treated with EVLT and one (6.3%) of the 16 patients treated with cryostripping had clinical grade 1 lymphoedema, with marked disruption of the lymphatics around the knee. This patient also showed an abnormal uptake of radioactive tracer at the groin, 120 min after injection. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that no lymphatic complications occurred six months after EVLT, whereas one lymphatic complication occurred after cryostripping, however not in the groin but at the knee.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether lymphatic complications occur after endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) versus cryostripping. METHODS: A prospective analysis of patients who underwent lymphoscintigraphy before and six months after treatment of primary varicose veins. RESULTS: Of 120 patients randomized in a clinical trial comparing EVLT and cryostripping, 33 agreed to participate in this study. Six months after treatment, none of the 17 patients treated with EVLT and one (6.3%) of the 16 patients treated with cryostripping had clinical grade 1 lymphoedema, with marked disruption of the lymphatics around the knee. This patient also showed an abnormal uptake of radioactive tracer at the groin, 120 min after injection. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that no lymphatic complications occurred six months after EVLT, whereas one lymphatic complication occurred after cryostripping, however not in the groin but at the knee.