The anterior saphenous vein. Part 3. Systematic review of the literature and payor coverage policies. Endorsed by the American Vein and Lymphatic Society, the American Venous Forum and the International Union of Phlebology.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to systemically review the literature on Anterior Saphenous Vein (ASV) reflux treatment and insurance impediments to treatment coverage. METHODS: A literature search was performed using a PRISMA framework. In addition, a cross-sectional analysis of insurance policies for ASV treatment was evaluated. RESULTS: Published evidence and treatment considerations in the literature for ASV treatment are discussed. In 155 of 226 (68.6%) insurance policies reviewed coverage of ASV ablation was allowed while 62/226 (27.4%) did not specify coverage and 9/226 (4.0%) specified ASV treatment was not covered. Of the 155 that provide ASV coverage, 98 (62.2%) provide coverage with criteria such as requiring prior treatment of the great saphenous vein. CONCLUSIONS: Vein treatment experts should continue to advocate to insurance carriers to update their varicose vein treatment policies to reflect the substantial clinical evidence so that patients with ASV reflux can be appropriately treated.

Varicose Veins: Approach, Assessment, and Management to the Patient with Chronic Venous Disease.

Varicose veins are tortuous and dilated veins commonly seen in chronic venous disease. This article will review chronic venous disease, including its differential diagnosis, workup, and treatment.

Quality-of-life assessment in patients treated with radiofrequency ablation with or without great saphenous vein recanalization.

Quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic venous disorders has a central role to decide the correct treatment approach. In particular, in case of mini-invasive therapy, such as endovenous radiofrequency ablation (RFA), the postoperative QoL improvement remains one of the most important outcome to be reached. Despite this, very few data are published on the long-term QoL modifications after RFA. The aim of this brief report is to describe and analyze the role of QoL scales in a population of patients treated with RFA of the great saphenous vein and phlebectomies, highlighting results in short- and long-term follow-up period, and differences between recanalized and non-recanalized patients.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of current varicose veins treatments.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of technologies for treatment of varicose veins over 5 years-conservative care, surgery (high ligation and stripping), ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS), endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), mechanochemical ablation (MOCA), and cyanoacrylate glue occlusion (CAE). METHODS: A systematic review was updated and used to construct a Markov decision model. Outcomes were reintervention on the truncal vein, retreatment of residual varicosities and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and costs over 5 years. RESULTS: UGFS has a significantly greater reintervention rate than other procedures; there is no significant difference between the other procedures. The cost per QALY of EVLA vs UGFS in our base-case model is £16,966 ($23,700) per QALY, which is considered cost effective in the UK. RFA, MOCA, and CAE have greater procedure costs than EVLA with no evidence of greater benefit for patients. CONCLUSIONS: EVLA is the most cost-effective therapeutic option, with RFA a close second, in adult patients requiring treatment in the upper leg for incompetence of the GSV. MOCA, UGFS, CAE, conservative care, and high ligation and stripping are not cost effective at current prices in the UK National Health Service. MOCA and CAE seem to be promising, but further evidence on the effectiveness, reinterventions, and health-related quality of life is needed, as well as how cost effectiveness may vary across settings and reimbursement systems.

Private payers' varicose vein policies are inaccurate, disparate, and not evidence based, which mandates a proposal for a reasonable and responsible policy for the treatment of venous disease.

Varicose veins afflict more than one in five Americans, and although varicose veins may be an asymptomatic cosmetic concern in some, many others experience symptoms of pain, aching, heaviness, itching, and swelling. More advanced venous disease can result from untreated venous insufficiency. The complications of chronic venous disease, including bleeding, thrombosis, and ulceration, are seen in up to 2 million Americans annually. Numerous reports have documented venous disease adversely affects quality of life and that treatment of venous disease can improve quality of life. It has previously been documented that private insurers, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services subcontractors for that matter, have disparate policies that in many instances are self-serving, contain mistakes, use outdated evidence, and disregard evidence-based guidelines. The two leading venous medical societies, the American Venous Forum and the American Venous and Lymphatic Society, have come together to review the varicose vein coverage policies of seven major U.S. private medical insurance carriers whose policies cover more than 150 million Americans. The authors reviewed the policies for venous disease and, if significant gaps or inconsistencies are found, we hope to point them out, and, finally, to propose a thoughtful and reasonable policy based on the best available evidence.

Needs of standardisation in reporting a venous lower limb ultrasound exam for the assessment of varicose veins.

Duplex ultrasound is an important tool in the assessment and management of patients with varicose veins. Over the past two decades several minimally-invasive therapeutic options have become available for the treatment of these patients. Consequently, the ultrasonographic assessment and the parameters to consider have changed accordingly. Ultrasound parameters, such as the diameter of superficial incompetent veins or their depth from the skin surface amongst others, have become of paramount importance for planning a tailored either operative or non-operative treatment. However, in daily practice there is a wide variety of ultrasound parameters described in the report. This variety can be explained by several factors, such as the background of the healthcare professional performing the exam or the available treatments as per the local national healthcare service guidelines or insurance reimbursement plans. The standardisation of the reporting of the ultrasound findings in patients with varicose veins will improve communication between healthcare professionals and the management of these patients.

Validation of a Swedish version of a short patient-reported outcome measure for superficial venous insufficiency.

OBJECTIVE: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly used to measure symptoms and treatment effects, and a short PROM is more user friendly. The aim of this study was to test whether a Swedish seven-item version of the PROM used in the Vascular Quality Initiative Varicose Vein Registry can be used to measure quality of life in a Swedish cohort of patients with superficial venous insufficiency (SVI) equally well as the 26-item Swedish version of the Venous Insufficiency Epidemiological and Economic Study on Quality of Life/Symptoms (VEINES-QOL/Sym-S) and measure treatment effect. METHODS: Consecutive patients with SVI and Clinical-Etiology-Anatomy-Pathophysiology (CEAP) clinical class ≥C2 were recruited at three private clinics and one county hospital between January 2018 and October 2019. The patients were asked to answer both the VEINES-QOL/Sym-S and the Swedish seven-item version, called VARIShort, at two assessment points, baseline (cohort 1, 252 patients) and 1 week later (cohort 2, 138 patients), and the VARIShort at baseline and 8 weeks after an endovenous procedure (cohort 3, 106 patients). The mean age was 58.3 years (range, 20-93 years), 61.4 years (range, 20-93 years), and 57.2 years (range, 20-89 years) in cohorts 1, 2, and 3, respectively; the majority were female (59%, 55%, and 64%), and most were CEAP C4 (39%, 46%, and 38%). The VARIShort was evaluated with regard to its validity, test-retest reliability, internal consistency reliability, sensitivity, and responsiveness. RESULTS: There was a strong correlation between the VEINES-QOL-S and the VARIShort (rs = -0.819; P < .001). The VARIShort showed both excellent internal consistency with Cronbach's α of 0.93 and a high response to clinical change as measured with Cohen's d, overall score of 1.17. CONCLUSIONS: The Swedish seven-item PROM, the VARIShort, may be used for assessment of symptoms of SVI and outcome after treatment in Swedish SVI patients. The short PROM shows degree of SVI symptom impact on quality of life in the same manner as the 26-item VEINES-QOL/Sym-S.

Evaluating patient preferences for thermal ablation versus nonthermal, nontumescent varicose vein treatments.

OBJECTIVE: To measure patient preferences for attributes associated with thermal ablation and nonthermal, nontumescent varicose vein treatments. METHODS: Data were collected from an electronic patient preference survey taken by 70 adult participants (aged 20 years or older) at three Center for Vein Restoration clinics in New Jersey from July 19, 2019, through August 13, 2019. Survey participation was voluntary and anonymous (participation rate of 80.5% [70/87]). Patients were shown 10 consecutive screens that displayed three hypothetical treatment scenarios with different combinations of six attributes of interest and a none option. Choice-based conjoint analysis estimated the relative importance of different aspects of care, trade-offs between these aspects, and total satisfaction that respondents derived from different healthcare procedures. Market simulation analysis compared clusters of attributes mimicking thermal ablation and nonthermal, nontumescent treatments. RESULTS: Of the six attributes studied, out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures were the most important to patients (37.2%), followed by postoperative discomfort (17.1%), risk of adverse events (16.3%), time to return to normal activity (11.0%), number of injections (10.0%), and number of visits (8.4%). Patients were willing to pay the most to avoid postoperative discomfort ($68.9) and risk of adverse events ($65.8). The market simulation analysis found that, regardless of the level of OOP spending, 60% to 80% of respondents favored attribute combinations corresponding with nonthermal, nontumescent procedures over thermal ablation, and that less than 1% of participants would forgo either treatment under no cost sharing. CONCLUSIONS: Patients are highly sensitive to OOP costs for minimally invasive varicose vein treatments. Market simulation analysis favored nonthermal, nontumescent procedures over thermal ablation.

Primary care networks: an opportunity to improve community wound care.

Primary care networks (PCNs) were introduced in England in 2019 to bring about closer collaboration between general practice and community health services. The ambition is that greater collaboration between services will achieve better patient outcomes and reduce costs through more effective sharing of staff and resources. Wound care might be considered an ideal focus for PCNs, since general practice and community health services not only have a predominant role in the management of wounds, but variable and suboptimal practice continues and poor outcomes persist. This article investigates some ways in which PCNs might enable health-system changes that could improve the provision of wound care.

Efficacy and safety assessment of an ultrasound-based thermal treatment of varicose veins in a sheep model.

Purpose: Varicose veins are a common pathology that can be treated by endovenous thermal procedures like radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Such catheter-based techniques consist in raising the temperature of the vein wall to 70 to 120 °C to induce vein wall coagulation. Although effective, this treatment option is not suited for all types of veins and can be technically challenging.Materials and methods: In this study, we used High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) as a non-invasive thermal ablation procedure to treat varicose veins and we assessed the long-term efficacy and safety of the procedure in a sheep model. In vivo experiments were first conducted on two saphenous veins to measure the temperature rise induced at the vein wall during HIFU ablation and were compared with reported RFA-induced thermal rise. Thermocouples were inserted in situ to perform 20 measurements during 8-s ultrasound pulses at 3 MHz. Eighteen saphenous veins of nine anesthetized sheep (2-2.5 % Isoflurane) were then exposed to similar pulses (85 W acoustic, 8 s). After treatments, animals recovered from anesthesia and were followed up 30, 60 and 90 days post-treatment (n = 3 animals per group). At the end of the follow-up, vein segments and perivenous tissues were harvested and histologically examined.Results: Temperatures induced by HIFU pulses were found to be comparable to reported RFA treatments. Likewise, histological findings were similar to the ones reported after RFA and laser-based coagulation necrosis of the vein wall, thrombotic occlusions and vein wall fibrosis.Conclusion: These results support strongly the effectiveness and safety of HIFU for ablating non-invasively veins.

Five-Year Outcomes of a Randomized Trial of Treatments for Varicose Veins.

BACKGROUND: Endovenous laser ablation and ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy are recommended alternatives to surgery for the treatment of primary varicose veins, but their long-term comparative effectiveness remains uncertain. METHODS: In a randomized, controlled trial involving 798 participants with primary varicose veins at 11 centers in the United Kingdom, we compared the outcomes of laser ablation, foam sclerotherapy, and surgery. Primary outcomes at 5 years were disease-specific quality of life and generic quality of life, as well as cost-effectiveness based on models of expected costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained that used data on participants' treatment costs and scores on the EuroQol EQ-5D questionnaire. RESULTS: Quality-of-life questionnaires were completed by 595 (75%) of the 798 trial participants. After adjustment for baseline scores and other covariates, scores on the Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (on which scores range from 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating a better quality of life) were lower among patients who underwent laser ablation or surgery than among those who underwent foam sclerotherapy (effect size [adjusted differences between groups] for laser ablation vs. foam sclerotherapy, -2.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], -4.49 to -1.22; P<0.001; and for surgery vs. foam sclerotherapy, -2.60; 95% CI, -3.99 to -1.22; P<0.001). Generic quality-of-life measures did not differ among treatment groups. At a threshold willingness-to-pay ratio of £20,000 ($28,433 in U.S. dollars) per QALY, 77.2% of the cost-effectiveness model iterations favored laser ablation. In a two-way comparison between foam sclerotherapy and surgery, 54.5% of the model iterations favored surgery. CONCLUSIONS: In a randomized trial of treatments for varicose veins, disease-specific quality of life 5 years after treatment was better after laser ablation or surgery than after foam sclerotherapy. The majority of the probabilistic cost-effectiveness model iterations favored laser ablation at a willingness-to-pay ratio of £20,000 ($28,433) per QALY. (Funded by the National Institute for Health Research; CLASS Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN51995477.).

Patient responsiveness to a differential deductible: empirical results from The Netherlands.

Health insurers may use financial incentives to encourage their enrollees to choose preferred providers for medical treatment. Empirical evidence whether differences in cost-sharing rates across providers affects patient choice behavior is, especially from Europe, limited. This paper examines the effect of a differential deductible to steer patient provider choice in a Dutch regional market for varicose veins treatment. Using individual patients' choice data and information about their out-of-pocket payments covering the year of the experiment and 1 year before, we estimate a conditional logit model that explicitly controls for pre-existing patient preferences. Our results suggest that in this natural experiment designating preferred providers and waiving the deductible for enrollees using these providers significantly influenced patient choice. The average cross-price elasticity of demand is found to be 0.02, indicating that patient responsiveness to the cost-sharing differential itself was low. Unlike fixed cost-sharing differences, the deductible exemption was conditional on the patient's other medical expenses occurring in the policy year. The differential deductible did, therefore, not result in a financial benefit for patients with annual costs exceeding their total deductible.

Is radiofrequency ablation of varicose veins a valuable option? A systematic review of the literature with a cost analysis.

BACKGROUND: Since the 1990s, new techniques for the treatment of varicose veins have emerged, including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and laser treatment. We performed a study to compare the safety, efficacy and outcomes of RFA compared to those of open surgery and laser ablation for the treatment of varicose veins. We also carried out a cost analysis of RFA compared to open surgery to assess whether RFA could help free up operating room time by being performed in an outpatient context. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review (publication date May 2010-September 2013 for articles in English, January 1991-September 2013 for those in French). We used several checklists to measure the quality of the studies. We also collected data on costing. RESULTS: The literature search identified 924 publications, of which 38 were retained for analysis: 15 literature reviews, 1 good-practice guideline and 22 new primary studies. The overall level of evidence was low to moderate owing to the limited sample sizes, lack of information on patient characteristics and lack of standardization of the outcome measures. However, the results obtained are consistent from study to study. In the short and medium term, RFA is considered as effective as open surgery or laser treatment (moderate level of evidence) and presents fewer major and minor complications than open surgery (low level of evidence). Radiofrequency ablation can be performed on an outpatient basis. We calculated that RFA would be about $110-$220 more expensive per patient than open surgery. CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency ablation is a valuable alternative to open surgery and would free up operating room time in a context of low accessibility.

CONTEXTE: Depuis les années 1990, de nouvelles techniques pour le traitement des varices ont émergé, y compris l'ablation par radiofréquence (ARF) et le traitement au laser. Nous avons procédé à une étude afin de comparer l'innocuité, l'efficacité et les résultats de l'ARF à ceux de la chirurgie ouverte et de l'ablation par laser pour le traitement des varices. Nous avons aussi procédé à une analyse des coûts de l'ARF comparativement à la chirurgie pour vérifier si, en étant effectuée en consultation externe, l'ARF permet de libérer du temps de bloc opératoire. MÉTHODES: Nous avons réalisé une revue systématique de la documentation (articles publiés entre mai 2010 et septembre 2013 en langue anglaise, et entre janvier 1991 et septembre 2013 en langue française). Nous avons utilisé plusieurs séries de critères pour mesurer la qualité des études. Nous avons aussi recueilli des données sur l'estimation des coûts. RÉSULTATS: La recherche documentaire a permis de recenser 924 publications, dont 38 ont été retenues pour analyse : 15 examens documentaires, 1 directive de pratique optimale et 22 études principales. Le niveau de preuve global a été jugé de faible à modéré en raison de la taille limitée des échantillons, du manque d'information sur les caractéristiques des patients et de l'absence de normalisation des mesures paramétriques. Toutefois, les résultats obtenus concordent d'une étude à l'autre. À court et à moyen terme, l'ARF est considérée aussi efficace que la chirurgie ouverte ou que le traitement au laser (niveau de preuve modéré) et s'accompagne de moins de complications majeures et mineures que la chirurgie ouverte (faible niveau de preuve). L'ablation par radiofréquence peut être effectuée en consultation externe. Nous avons calculé que l'ARF couterait environ 110 à 220 $ de plus par patient comparativement à la chirurgie. CONCLUSION: L'ablation par radiofréquence est une solution de rechange valable à la chirurgie ouverte et pourrait libérer du temps de bloc opératoire dans un contexte d'accès restreint.

A national survey on management of varicose veins in China.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the current clinical practice and management strategies for varicose veins among Chinese physicians in general and in specific case vignettes. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 726 Chinese physicians who were attending the vascular surgery academic conferences during August 2016 to May 2017 in China. Physicians were eligible if they were familiar with several currently used treatment techniques for varicose veins. RESULTS: A total of 681 physicians from 527 hospitals in 29 provinces across China completed the questionnaire. Of them, 80.0% were vascular surgeons, 13.1% were general surgeons, and 6.9% were interventional radiologists. More than half (67.0%) of them had >5 years of experience in management of varicose veins. A third of the participants performed routine venography for patients with suspected varicose veins. Moreover, 87.5% believed that the patient's medical insurance would influence their choice of treatment modalities. Only 38.5% of the participants' departments could perform day surgery for varicose veins. The most common average hospitalization time was 4 to 7 days, with an average cost of 4000 to 8000 yuan per leg. In the basic case (Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology classification C2,SEpAsPr2,3), 63.8% preferred traditional surgery for great saphenous vein reflux, followed by endovenous laser ablation (24.3%), radiofrequency ablation (5.6%), and ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (3.1%). Physicians in coastal China were more likely to choose endovenous thermal ablation than those from western China (P < .05). In modified case vignettes complicated with hyperpigmentation and lipodermatosclerosis or ulceration, more participants chose traditional surgery for great saphenous vein (73.2% vs 63.8% [P < .001]; 75.9% vs 63.8% [P < .001]) compared with the basic case. Moreover, 31.9% preferred continuation of compression therapy for patients with varicose veins and deep venous reflux, and 65.4% preferred correction of iliac vein compression before treatment of varicose veins. Distributions of management strategies were significantly different between the basic and modified case vignettes (all P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Both traditional surgery and minimally invasive techniques are used for patients with varicose veins in China, but traditional surgery is the mainstay of treatment for varying degrees of varicose veins. Related clinical factors, duplex ultrasound scan findings, medical insurance, and economy may have influenced the physicians' choice of treatment modality for varicose veins.

The Center for Vein Restoration Study on presenting symptoms, treatment modalities, and outcomes in Medicare-eligible patients with chronic venous disorders.

BACKGROUND: Chronic venous disorders (CVDs) have been estimated to affect up to 20 million Americans. Despite this huge prevalence, the signs, symptoms, and treatment outcomes in patients 65 years of age and older are not well defined. Our goal was to determine the presentation and treatment outcomes in elderly patients compared with a cohort of patients younger than 65 years. METHODS: From January 2015 to December 2016, we retrospectively reviewed prospectively collected data from 38,750 patients with CVD from the Center for Vein Restoration's electronic medical record (NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Irvine, Calif). We divided patients into two groups; group A patients were younger than 65 years, and group B patients were 65 years of age or older. Medical and surgical history, presenting symptoms, treatment modalities, and revised Venous Clinical Severity Score before and after intervention were evaluated. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive value of presenting and associated symptoms. Groups A and B were subdivided by Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology class for subgroup analysis. Data were analyzed with GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software Inc, La Jolla, Calif) or SAS version 9.4 statistical software package (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). RESULTS: There were 27,536 patients in group A and 11,214 in group B. Women constituted 78% of all patients. Group B demonstrated a higher incidence of chronic diseases compared with group A (P ≤ .003). As initial presenting symptoms, pain, heaviness, fatigue, and aching were more common in group A than in group B (61% vs 55%, 30% vs 27%, 27% vs 24%, and 17% vs 12%, respectively; P ≤ .001). Swelling, skin discoloration, and venous ulceration were more common in group B than in group A (29% vs 23%, 12% vs 6%, and 5% vs 2%; P ≤ .001). Ablations were more commonly performed in group B patients with C4 to C6 disease (P ≤ .004). The revised Venous Clinical Severity Scores before and 1 month after intervention were similar between groups. Treatment improvement was statistically significant in both groups (P ≤ .001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that varices, bleeding, swelling, skin changes, venous ulceration, aching, heaviness, pain, fatigue, cramping, and restless legs were associated with the presence of CVD (P ≤ .001). CONCLUSIONS: Medicare beneficiaries presented with more chronic diseases and more severe disease. Initial and associated symptoms were highly associated with the presence of CVD. Despite requiring more interventions than patients younger than 65 years, Medicare beneficiaries demonstrated the same degree of clinical improvement. Medicare should not develop coverage policy decisions that prevent access to therapies that alleviate CVD-induced symptoms.

Proposal for a national coverage determination for the treatment of varicose veins and venous disease due to disparate Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services local coverage determination policies.

Varicose veins and chronic venous disease are common problems in the United States. Persons with these conditions often have an adversely affected quality of life. There are a number of proven interventions to treat varicose veins and to improve patients' life quality, but these interventions are often restricted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and private third-party payers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have private contractors that administer Medicare policies in 10 jurisdictions across the United States. There is no national policy or coverage for the treatment of varicose veins; rather, there are multiple, disparate regional policies written by the contractors that cover the same Medicare beneficiary population. These disparate policies are not evidence based and provide unfair coverage of the same disease to the Medicare population, depending on where they live. Our proposal is for a national coverage determination policy for the treatment of varicose veins.

Pilot study of methods for assessing unmet secondary health care need in New Zealand.

AIMS: In this pilot study, the primary aim was to compare four potential methods for undertaking a national survey of unmet secondary healthcare need in New Zealand (one collecting data from GPs, and three from community surveys). The secondary aim was to obtain an estimate of the prevalence of unmet secondary healthcare need, to inform sample size calculations for a national survey. METHODS: An electronic system was set up for GPs in Christchurch (Pegasus PHO) and Auckland (Auckland PHO) to record cases of unmet need as encountered in clinics. For the community surveys, a questionnaire developed by the authors was administered to people from the same electoral wards as the GP clinics. Three modes of questionnaire administration were trialled: online, telephone and face-to-face interview. Random population sampling from the Maori and General Electoral Rolls was used to identify eligible survey participants until there were approximately 200 respondents for each method in each city. Data collection took place from November 2015 to February 2016. RESULTS: GP reports: Pegasus PHO: 8/78 eligible practices recorded 28 cases of unmet secondary healthcare need in 10 weeks. Auckland PHO: 3/26 practices participated and recorded no cases in three weeks. Surveys: 1,277 interviews were completed (online 428, telephone 447, face-to-face 402). For primary healthcare, 211/1,277 (16.5%) had missed a GP visit because of cost (online 25.0%, telephone 11.6%, face-to-face 12.9%). For secondary healthcare, 119/1,277 (9.3%) reported unmet healthcare need that had been identified by a health professional (online 11.2%; telephone 9.2%; face-to-face 7.5%). Of these, 75/119 (63.0%) required a consultation, and 47/119 (39.5%) required a procedure. Completed interview rates as a percentage of names on the Electoral Roll were low (online 8.8%, telephone 15.4%, face-to-face 13.9%), affected by changed addresses and lack of listed telephone numbers. The response rate for those with valid phone numbers was 47.6%, and for those with valid addresses was 31.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Using the Electoral Rolls to identify respondents is problematic. For a national survey, random population sampling by address, similar to the method employed for the New Zealand Health Survey, but giving respondents a choice between face-to-face and phone interviews, is proposed. Asking GPs to record data on unmet need for secondary care was not successful. Our pilot study suggests there is sufficient unmet secondary healthcare need in New Zealand to merit a national survey.

Tratamento esclerosante não estético de varizes de membros inferiores / Non-aesthetic sclerosing treatment of lower limb varicose veins

O Ministro de Estado da Saúde, Ricardo Barros, solicitou à Comissão Nacional de Incorporação de Tecnologias no SUS - CONITEC, um levantamento e avaliação dos resultados da escleroterapia não estética de varizes de membros inferiores em homens e mulheres, notadamente aquela realizada com a chamada "técnica da espuma" com vistas à incorporação de procedimento específico na Tabela do SUS. As veias varicosas são veias superficiais tortuosas alargadas com pelo menos 3 mm de diâmetro que geralmente afetam as veias safenas grandes e pequenas nos membros inferiores. Tem como causa a diminuição da elasticidade da parede da veia e o mau funcionamento das válvulas dentro da veia, resultando em acumulação de sangue e alargamento das veias. Os sintomas das varizes podem variar em gravidade, indo do desconforto ocasional à ulceração grave da pele. Também podem causar considerável incapacidade, resultando em diminuição da qualidade de vida e perda de dias de trabalho. Quando não tratadas, podem progredir para a insuficiência venosa crônica, o que aumenta a probabilidade de danos nos tecidos e desenvolvimento de úlceras de estase venosa. Os tratamentos para veias varicosas sintomáticas das pernas incluem medidas conservadoras tais como meias de compressão, elevação das pernas, caminhar e controlar o peso. Em casos com grave desconforto, ulceração ou trombose, procedimentos cirúrgicos minimamente invasivos (escleroterapia, ablação a laser endovenosa, ablação por radiofrequência) ou ligadura cirúrgica e excisão (remoção de veias) podem ser usados para destruir ou remover os vasos afetados. Neste sentido, o fluxo de sangue é automaticamente desviado para outras veias colaterais e profundas. Dos procedimentos minimamente invasivos a escleroterapia é usada para tratar os vasos sanguíneos ou malformações dos vasos sanguíneos (malformações vasculares) e também os do sistema linfático. A técnica se apresenta em três modalidades: Escleroterapia com substância líquida, Escleroterapia com espuma e Escleroterapia a laser, sendo esta ultima, em geral, utilizada em associação com a escleroterapia líquida ou espuma. O laser trata as varizes por cauterização enquanto a escleroterapia líquida ou espuma trata por inflamação do vaso e não são todos os tipos de pele que podem receber os pulsos de laser. A substância injetada causa esclerose (destruição e cicatrização) da veia selecionada. É uma técnica que necessita de repetições, mas dispensa anestesia e pode ser realizada em ambulatório, por médicos treinados, para ser efetiva. Essa técnica apresenta-se como uma possibilidade de tratamento para varizes, pois permite inativar a veia insuficiente, ocluindo-a através de uma ablação química. A escleroterapia ecoguiada é considerada uma técnica simples, segura e eficaz, com baixo índice de complicações, podendo ser realizada em ambiente ambulatorial para o tratamento de varizes de membros inferiores, com uso de anestesia local, permitindo ao paciente o retorno domiciliar imediato e a volta breve às atividades laborais. Os resultados de estudos abrangentes revelam que a escleroterapia guiada por ultrassom com espuma é um procedimento simples, seguro e eficaz para o tratamento de distúrbios venosos. Estudos comparativos observam menos complicações procedurais no grupo da escleroterapia com espuma (7%) do que na cirurgia (8%) (p<0,001). Em geral, os riscos relativos da maioria dos eventos adversos não diferiram significativamente entre a escleroterapia de espuma e a cirurgia, ou seja, ocorre uma distribuição semelhante de complicações entre as duas intervenções. As revisões sistemáticas que compararam a eficácia e segurança da escleroterapia de espuma versus escleroterapia líquida para o tratamento de varizes primárias dos membros inferiores não encontraram diferenças estatísticas significativas entre a escleroterapia líquida e a espuma para os efeitos colaterais. A análise de impacto orçamentário foi realizada a fim de estimar a quantidade de recursos necessários para a incorporação do procedimento "tratamento esclerosante não estético de varizes de membros inferiores", sob a perspectiva do Sistema Único de Saúde, com um horizonte de 3 anos, de 2017 a 2019. Os membros da CONITEC presentes na 4ª reunião extraordinária do plenário do dia 12/01/2017, deliberaram por unanimidade recomendar a incorporação do procedimento para o tratamento esclerosante não estético de varizes de membros inferiores. Foi assinado o Registro de Deliberação nº 229/2017. A Portaria Nº 4, de 31 de janeiro de 2017 - Torna Torna pública a decisão de incorporar procedimento para o tratamento esclerosante não estético de varizes de membros inferiores no âmbito do Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS.

Prospective Randomized Study of Ultrasound-Guided Foam Sclerotherapy Combined with Great Saphenous Vein High Ligation in the Treatment of Severe Lower Extremity Varicosis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) in a single session combined with great saphenous vein (GSV) high ligation for severe lower extremity varicosis classified as C4-C6, compared with GSV stripping plus multistab avulsion or transilluminated powered phlebectomy (TIPP). METHODS: From January 2012 to December 2014, 177 patients with primary GSV insufficiency, classified as C4-C6, were randomized into the UGFS group or the control group. The UGFS group was managed by GSV high ligation and foam sclerotherapy in one session under the surveillance of ultrasonography, whereas the control group received GSV high ligation and stripping combined with multistab avulsion or TIPP. The patients were followed up at 1, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Outcome assessments included reflux recurrence rate, procedure-related adverse events, hemodynamic parameters, revised Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS), and Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ) score. The medical cost and operating time of the 2 groups were also compared. RESULTS: In total, 73 patients received UGFS, whereas 90 patients underwent traditional surgery. Sixty-five patients in the UGFS group (89.0%) and 74 patients in the control group (82.2%) completed the follow-up. At the end of 12 months, the cumulative reflux recurrence rate was 13.8% in the UGFS group and 13.5% in the control group (P = 0.955). In the UGFS and control groups, minor complications (27.7% vs. 21.6%, P = 0.406) and major complications (3.1% vs. 2.7%, P = 0.895) were not significantly different. Compared with baseline values, obvious improvements of the venous filling index, VCSS, and AVVQ scores after treatment were confirmed in both groups (P < 0.001). The average operating and recovery times were much shorter (38.3 vs. 81.2 min, 5.4 vs. 9.6 days, P < 0.001, respectively), and the average hospital cost was much lower ($853 vs. $1,575, P < 0.001) in the UGFS group than in the control group. The patient satisfaction rate reached 92.3% in the UGFS group and 89.2% in the control group 12 months after operation (P = 0.270). CONCLUSIONS: Our outcomes indicated that UGFS combined with GSV high ligation was safe and effective for severe lower extremity varicosis.