Endovenous vacuum-assisted laser ablation (VALA) for the treatment of great saphenous vein aneurysm close to the junction (Type I)
Oksana Vasilyevna Bukina, Dmitrii Nikolaevich AlekseevObjectives
This study aimed to analyze the patients with saphenous vein aneurysm (SVA) close to the junction treated with endovenous vacuum-assisted laser ablation (VALA).
Methods
This was a retrospective analysis the patients with great saphenous vein aneurysm close to the junction involving a terminal valve and varicose veins who underwent VALA from March 2021 to October 2025. Sclerotherapy of the tributaries were performed during the same treatment session. All patients were examined clinically and with duplex ultrasound (DUS) in the standing position.
Results
Ten patients with a median diameter of the great SVA 23.8 mm (IQR 21.6 – 28.9) were included in the study. At 6 months follow up saphenous aneurysms were absent and clinical outcome was improved in all of the patients. At the early postoperative visits there were no patients with symptoms of pulmonary embolism (PE), two cases of endothermal heat-induced thrombosis (EHIT) 1, and one case EHIT 2, which required the prescription of an anticoagulant therapeutic dose. No other adverse events were observed.
Conclusion
Sonographic and clinical 6-months follow-up showed that VALA is an effective procedure with excellent technical result for the treatment of great SVA close to the Junction. However, the best thromboprophylaxis strategy in this case remains to be debatable.