title: European guidelines for sclerotherapy in chronic venous disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sclerotherapy is the targeted chemical ablation of varicose veins by intravenous injection of a liquid or foamed sclerosing drug. The treated veins may be intradermal, subcutaneous, and/or transfascial as well as superficial and deep in venous malformations. The aim of this guideline is to give evidence-based recommendations for liquid and foam sclerotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This guideline was drafted on behalf of 23 European Phlebological Societies during a Guideline Conference on 7-10 May 2012 in Mainz. The conference was organized by the German Society of Phlebology. These guidelines review the present state of knowledge as reflected in published medical literature. The regulatory situation of sclerosant drugs differs from country to country but this has not been considered in this document. The recommendations of this guideline are graded according to the American College of Chest Physicians Task Force recommendations on Grading Strength of Recommendations and Quality of Evidence in Clinical Guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This guideline focuses on the two sclerosing drugs which are licensed in the majority of the European countries, polidocanol and sodium tetradecyl sulphate. Other sclerosants are not discussed in detail. The guideline gives recommendations concerning indications, contraindications, side-effects, concentrations, volumes, technique and efficacy of liquid and foam sclerotherapy of varicose veins and venous malformations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany eberhard.rabe@ukb.uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rabe
authors.affiliation: Practice for Vascular Medicine, Tegernsee, Germany.
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Breu
authors.affiliation: Vascular Unit, Poliambulatorio Hippocrates and Clinic Stella Maris, San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cavezzi
authors.affiliation: British Vein Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coleridge Smith
authors.affiliation: Studio Medico Flebologico - Figline Valdarno, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frullini
authors.affiliation: Vascular Medicine and Phlebology, Bourgoin-Jallieu, France.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gillet
authors.affiliation: Cabinet de Phlébologie, Nice, France.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Guex
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Medicine, Saint Martin Private Hospital, Caen, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hamel-Desnos
authors.affiliation: Private office Vevey, Service of Angiology, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kern
authors.affiliation: Private Practice, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Partsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ramelet
authors.affiliation: Bassi Foundation Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tessari
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pannier
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000077423:Polidocanol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015911:Sclerotherapy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D012981:Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D012597:Sclerosing Solutions; D000077423:Polidocanol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012981:Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate
keywords: Chronic venous disease; foam sclerotherapy; sclerotherapy; varicose veins