Revolutionary new treatment for varicose veins

The Countess of Chester Hospital is at the forefront of healthcare innovation by becoming the first Trust in the country to trial a revolutionary new procedure to treat varicose veins.

Unlike alternative varicose vein treatments, Cyanoacrylate is a simple but revolutionary glue type substance which is injected directly into the varicose veins to cure them. This pioneering procedure is used to treat simple varicose veins and complex varicosities leading to venous leg ulcers.  It is conducted within 15 minutes and the patient requires no anaesthetic or compression stockings and can resume normal activities immediately following the treatment.

The Countess of Chester Hospital is the first Trust in the UK to use this treatment as part of a multi-centre, international trial - eSCOPE (European Sapheon Closure System Observational Prospective) which is only available commercially for the trial investigators.  

This new solution is considered to be the 3^rd generation in treatments for varicose veins. Historically the conventional treatment is vein stripping and ligation surgery which requires general anaesthetic. Endovenous laser treatment and radiofrequency treatments were a welcome step forward by offering a less invasive alternative to surgery where the veins are burnt or heated and then closed through a minimally invasive procedure which requires only local anaesthetic. However, there is still the need for the patient to wear compression stockings for two weeks.

The product being used in the eSCOPE trial, in association with Sapheon, the medical device company, is called VenaSeal  (developed in Santa Rosa, California, USA) and has previously been used to treat congenital abnormalities in blood vessels but has never been used to treat varicose veins until now.

Mr Sameh Dimitri, Lead Vascular Consultant Surgeon at the Countess, who is conducting the trial, commented: "I am very proud that the Countess is the first provider in the UK to take part in the eSCOPE trial and it further demonstrates the Trust's commitment to being at the forefront of clinical developments. This is a revolutionary treatment which will benefit many people in the local area and we are very excited to offer it as this new technique is very promising."

He added: "The main difference between this and other treatments is based on the level of pain, complications and inconvenience caused to the patient. With this new treatment the patient does not require any anaesthetic or compression stockings. Essentially there is no recovery period and the treatment itself can be completed in 15 minutes, leaving the patient to resume normal activities immediately."

This new technique is offered as part of the eSCOPE Trial to NHS patients who fulfil the PCT criteria for varicose vein treatment. 

Mr James Robert Mahon, a Countess patient who has already received the treatment as part of the trial, said: "This is a fantastic treatment which has been extremely successful for me and I'm very grateful. It was a huge relief that this option has been made available as although I'm sure the alternative treatments are successful, this was almost completely pain-free and was completed in less than 20 minutes, with no recovery period afterwards. I hope other patients find this as beneficial as I have."