This Study is a comparison of injection sclerotherapy with 22% hypertonic saline (1,566 treatments in 598 patients) and carbon dioxide laser sclerotherapy (288 treatments in 121 patients) in the ablation of cutaneous spider veins of the lower extremities.
Excellent cosmetic results were achieved with injection sclerotherapy and good results were achieved with laser sclerotherapy. However, patients prefer injection sclerotherapy because laser sclerotherapy leaves small white scars, is more painful, and has a higher recurrence rate. For this reason, we have now abandoned laser sclerotherapy and utilize only saline injection sclerotherapy.
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