The procedure is safe and highly effective. It involves injecting sclerosing medication into abnormal veins through ultrasound mapping, which causes the veins to close. Your body will eventually dissolve these veins and absorb them. Depending on the affected veins, the doctor may request an ultrasound of the veins in the legs.
Ultrasound is a painless procedure that uses sound waves to produce images of internal body structures. Foam sclerotherapy, also known as ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy, is a minimally invasive treatment for varicose veins. Foam sclerotherapy, which is performed under the supervision of an ultrasound, is often used to treat varicose veins close to the surface of the skin. Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy, a non-surgical, minimally invasive technique, is designed to close varicose veins, causing the problematic vein to shrink or possibly disappear.
Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy with foam is a safer and more comfortable alternative to surgical removal for treating varicose veins. If you've been treated for small varicose veins or spider veins, you can generally expect to see definitive results within three to six weeks. Varicose veins can be caused by the weakening of the valves (incompetent valves) within the veins that allow blood to pool in the veins instead of traveling to the heart.
