title: Foam sclerotherapy for reticular veins of the dorsal hands: a retrospective review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite being the gold standard for lower extremity reticular vein treatment, few studies have yet evaluated foam sclerotherapy for hand veins.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This retrospective study evaluates the safety and efficacy of foam sclerotherapy for reticular veins of the dorsal hands.
  
  
  METHODS
  A telephone-based questionnaire was used for patient self-assessment of overall improvement, satisfaction, prevalence of adverse events, and willingness for repeat treatment after foam sclerotherapy with sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS). All patients had been treated with foam STS of 0.25% to 1.0% concentration using room air.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one of 45 patients were successfully contacted, with a total of 54 treatment sessions performed on 38 hands. Overall, patients reported scores of 2.55 ± 0.56 for overall improvement (0 = none, 1= mild, 2 = moderate, and 3 = complete resolution) and 1.79 ± 0.41 for satisfaction with results (0 = not satisfied at all, 1 = mildly satisfied, and 2 = very satisfied), with few significant treatment-related adverse events. Most patients stated they would undergo another treatment if needed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This single-center experience found that foam sclerotherapy with STS is a safe and effective treatment for reticular veins of the dorsal hands with excellent long-term patient satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Dermatology and Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; †Goldman, Butterwick, Fitzpatrick, Groff & Fabi: Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tremaine
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Friedmann
authors.forename: Mitchel P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects; D004487:Edema / Q000209:etiology; D004890:Erythema / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006225:Hand / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015911:Sclerotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012981:Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014680:Veins
chemical_list: D012597:Sclerosing Solutions; D012981:Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate