To strip or not to strip the long saphenous vein? A varicose veins trial.

A double blind controlled trial of surgery for varicose veins was conducted on the legs of patients with bilateral symmetrical varicose veins. The two treatments, saphenofemoral ligation and avulsion of varices, with and without stripping of the long saphenous vein from ankle to groin, were randomly allocated among the legs of individual patients. At follow-up, between 2.5 and 3.5 years, an objective (observer) assessment was that stripping conferred a significant advantage, but the incidence of paraesthesia and pain biased patient's opinion against stripping.