INTRODUCTION Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) of varicose veins is a useful treatment option. It is a relatively safe method in the case of limited, small varicose veins. In theory, a justified concern could be raised that the injection of an active drug into the large superficial venous vessels may potentially cause life-threatening consequences. AIM To assess the safety and effic...

Although the etiology of varicose veins remains unknown, recent studies have focused on endothelial cell integrity and function because the endothelium regulates vessel tone and synthesizes many pro- and anti-inflammatory factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the evidence involving the endothelium in the development of varicose vein disease. In addition, tissue remodeling was invest...

We performed experiments to determine whether or not acetylcholine exerts a prejunctional inhibitory effect on adrenergic neurotransmission in the human blood vessel wall. Rings of human greater saphenous veins were prepared 2 to 15 hours after death and mounted for isometric tension recording in organ chambers filled with Krebs-Ringer solution. Acetylcholine depressed contractile responses to ...

OBJECTIVE To study morphofunctional alterations induced by brief pressure increases in human saphenous veins utilized in coronary artery bypass grafting. METHOD Saphenous veins of 20 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, were distributed into four experimental groups, control, 100 mmHg, 200 mmHg and 300 mmHg, and submitted to pressure distention over 15 seconds using Krebs solu...

Minimally invasive techniques for ablation of incompetent saphenous veins using either radiofrequency or laser energy sources have gained acceptance and are being widely applied today. Tumescent local anesthesia provides protection to tissues surrounding the treated veins and allows the procedures to be done on conscious patients. Results thus far compare favorably with surgical stripping proce...