A substantial change in medical practice has occurred in the last 10 years. Several new, minimally invasive techniques for treating have been described and come into general use. The main aim of these is to avoid surgical removal of varicose veins. The idea is to avoid the need for general anaesthetic, incisions in the legs and a hospital operating theatre leading to a much more rapid recovery from treatment. Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy has become well established as a method of achieving long term cure of varicose veins. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) now recommends the use of modern minimally invasive treatments for varicose veins instead of surgery.
