Authors' recommendations: There is some evidence that the short-term clinical-effectiveness of EVLT is similar to that of surgical interventions for the management of varicose veins but with lower rates of adverse effects such as post-operative pain, hematomas, edema, bruising, and infection. While serious adverse events such as thrombo embolic events and nerve damage were rare in comparative trials, occurrence rates of these events seemed to be lower in patients receiving EVLT. However, these comparative studies were underpowered to detect differences in these infrequent events. There is evidence that patients receiving EVLT experience superior short-term quality of life of up to two months following treatment and return to normal activity sooner compared with patients undergoing surgery. Although economic evaluations suggest that EVLT may be at least as cost-effective as surgery despite additional equipment and imaging costs, these results may not be generalizable to the Canadian health-care system. Well-designed RCTs with sufficient sample size and follow-up duration are required to confirm this finding. In conclusion, long-term comparative RCTs assessing clinical effectiveness, safety, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness are needed to fully characterize the role of EVLT for the management of varicose veins relative to other treatments.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.cadth.ca/media/pdf/L0102_Endovenous_Laser_Therapy.pdf

Year Published: 2009

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Canada

Organisation Name: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health

Contact Address: 600-865 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 5S8 Canada. Tel: +1 613 226 2553; Fax: +1 613 226 5392;

Contact Name: requests@cadth.ca

Contact Email: requests@cadth.ca

Copyright: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)