Endovenous laser therapy combined with a surgical approach for primary varicose veins of the lower limbs.

In recent years, the minimal invasive alternatives to surgical ligation and stripping for the treatment of an incompetent greater saphenous vein have been explored. Endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) is one of these therapeutic options. We report on our initial experience with endovenus laser therapy combined with a surgical approach. Over the period from September 2006 to September 2007, in the Colleferro City Hospital General Surgery Department, 19 patients were submitted to endovenous laser therapy combined with a surgical approach. We opted for a combined technique in which the use of the laser was preceded by high ligation of the saphenous vein ("crossectomy") together with complete sectioning of the venous collaterals. We observed no severe complications and endovenous laser therapy proved safe and easy to perform. However, this study is too limited and too short in terms of follow-up and number of patients to establish the superiority of the procedure over stripping in terms of recurrences. Endovenous laser therapy seems promising, but larger numbers and longer follow-up are needed to suggest this technique as the best approach to the management of varicose vein disease.