Comparative Evaluation of Conventional Surgery with Radio Frequency Ablation in the Treatment of Varicose Veins

The standard treatment for a varicose vein is the elimination of the reflux and the abnormal superficial venous system. Conventional surgery involves venous ligation with the stripping of great or short saphenous veins and hence plenty of tissue injuries. Minimal invasive procedures, like Radio Frequency Ablation or sclerotherapy, ablates the superficial venous system without causing significant tissue injuries, hence, an increase in the acceptability of the procedure. Thus, a randomized study was conducted to evaluate endovenous procedures against the gold standard conventional surgery for its potential benefits. Methodology: A randomized controlled study was conducted in the department of general surgery at a tertiary care military hospital on 60 patients between 18-60 years of age suffering from varicose veins from the period of January 2016 to March 2019. The patients were categorized into two groups. Group A underwent Radio Frequency Ablation, while Group B underwent Ligation and Stripping. All the patients were reviewed at 1, 6 and 12 months to assess the presence of residual or a recurrent varicose vein (PREVAIT). Data were processed and analyzed using SPSS 24.0. Data were presented as frequencies with percentages (for categorical data), proportions, graphs, mean with standard deviation, Chi-Square test and univariate analysis. A p-value less than0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Postoperative pain was considerably less in the RFA group compared to the Stripping group and the mean Visual Analogue Scores at 72 hours and at 7 days were significantly lower in the RFA group. A significantly more minor post complications were seen in the Stripping group. Conclusion: Both Conventional open surgery with micro phlebectomy and RFA with foam sclerotherapy are effective methods of tackling varicose veins. The immediate post-operative results and acceptance of the procedure are more encouraging with the minimally invasive procedures.