Stripping operation with sclerotherapy for primary varicose veins due to greater saphenous vein reflux: three-year results

The purpose of this study was to compare the recurrence-free rates of stripping with varicectomy and stripping with sclerotherapy for the treatment of primary varicose veins due to greater saphenous vein insufficiency. This is a multicenter retrospective analysis of 186 patients and 220 limbs treated for primary varicose veins due to greater saphenous vein reflux from January 1996 to December 1997. The difference between the two groups was evaluated by the Chi(2) test or t-test. The recurrence-free rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier life-table method. The mean follow-up period was 3.2 +/- 1.1 years. The clinical backgrounds of patients with varicectomy stripping and sclerotherapy stripping were not significantly different between the two groups. The overall recurrence-free rates at 1 and 3 years were 97.0% and 91.4%, respectively. The recurrence-free rates at 3 years were 93.5% for stripping with varicectomy and 88.6% for stripping with sclerotherapy. No statistical difference was found between the two groups. The recurrence rate after stripping with sclerotherapy was equivalent to that after stripping with varicectomy. Thus concurrent varicectomy can be replaced with sclerotherapy.