We use the only two FDA approved solutions for sclerotherapy, sodium morrhuate and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (sotradecol). Saline has been used in the past for sclerotherapy. It is very painful. It is not more effective than other solutions. Many physicians used it because it was cheap. Others still use it in order to avoid allergic reactions which were reported in the past in association with other solutions. These were probably not true allergic reactions. Some physicians are now using “foam sclerotherapy.” The solution is turned into a foam by injecting it with air back and forth between two syringes. This is not FDA approved. Informed consent for foam sclerotherapy should include this fact, as well as the fact that there are disturbing side effects (e.g.,dry cough, blindness), which are transitory. The long-term effects are not documented. For these reasons, we do not use foam sclerotherapy at Vein Surgery and Treatment Center.
What solutions do you use for sclerotherapy?
About the Author: Dr. Daniel Monahan
Daniel L. Monahan, M.D. opened Vein Surgery and Treatment Center of Northern California in 2001. The name changed to Monahan Vein Clinic in 2011. He is board-certified in surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Treating vein disease is not something to learn in a weekend course. Dr. Monahan’s formal training included more experience in vein treatment than typical surgical training, and he carried this expertise into his practice.