Complications of Sclerotherapy

Abstract

To describe, determine the incidence of, and explain the adverse reactions associated with the use of sclerotherapy and sclerosing agents. Review of current literature and personal research, with special attention to the French registry of 12,173 sclerotherapy sessions. The nature and incidence of side effects of sclerosing agents vary according to the injection form: liquid or foam. They must be differentiated from complications of the method, which are less specific and often related to an inappropriate technique. Severe adverse events are rare, especially in relation to the billions of injections administered. Complications and side effects of sclerotherapy are uncommon; the method has demonstrated its safety, with 0.22% of complications per session with liquid sclerosant and 0.58% with foamed sclerosant, but several points remain unclear, and more research is needed. Patient's informed consent can be better obtained thanks to the current knowledge herein summarized.