Monday Scientific Session: Advances in Venous Ablation Research

Comparative Ablation Research

Dr. Kaebnick presented a living meta-analysis of over 235,000 patients showing
polidocanol microfoam was not different from thermal ablation for venous closure, with a
signal for increased DVT risk versus compounded foam requiring further data. Dr. Yee’s
matched study found phlebectomy extent did not change patient-reported satisfaction,
though procedure time was longer with more phlebectomy.

Technique Innovations

Dr. Ito described a radial slim fiber technique for tributary vein ablation in over
1,200 patients, reporting complete occlusion with few adverse events and no scarring. A
separate comparison found 1940nm laser produced higher tributary closure and less
pigmentation than 1470nm laser for total EVLA.

Postoperative Care and Safety

A patient-driven compression stocking study found only 22% continued wearing stockings
after one week, with no pain difference. A review of 2,818 ablations in iliac vein disease patients found no
difference in recanalization between laser and radiofrequency.

Pelvic-Origin Varicose Veins

Dr. Kaczorowski presented an algorithm for labial varicose veins of pelvic origin,
recommending a bottom-up approach using transperineal duplex to find pelvic escape
points, reserving embolization for true pelvic symptoms.