***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
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    Input: OBJECTIVES Comparison of Reverse Foam Sclerotherapy of the great saphenous vein ( GSV ) combed with sapheno-femoral junction ( SFJ ) ligation to st and ard ( Babcock ) stripping and invagination ( Pin ) stripping in a prospect i ve clinical series . DESIGN Prospect i ve clinical series . MATERIAL S AND METHODS 90 consecutive limbs of 82 patients with incompetence of the GSV result ing in varicose veins were prospect ively r and omised into 3 groups of 30 , treated by SFJ ligation and either reverse foam sclerotherapy , st and ard stripping or invagination stripping of the GSV . Outcomes were assessed post-operatively and at 2-weeks follow-up . Peri-operative blood loss ( 24 hrs ) , analgesic requirement , bruising and residual varicosities were assessed . Bruising was assessed by both patients and independent assessors using question naires . RESULTS SFJ ligation plus reverse foam sclerotherapy of the GSV was associated with significantly less blood loss , bruising and post-op discomfort than either of the stripping techniques . ( p<0.001 , Mann-Whitney ) CONCLUSION St and ard stripping of the GSV and invagination stripping are not associated with major discomfort and problems in the early post-operative period . SFJ ligation and GSV reverse foam sclerotherapy yielded greater patient satisfaction with less post-op bruising and discomfort and reduced analgesic requirements Endovenous laser ablation ( EVLA ) and radiofrequency ablation ( RFA ) are both associated with excellent technical , clinical and patient‐reported outcomes for the treatment of varicose veins . The aim of this study was to compare the techniques in a r and omized clinical trial BACKGROUND Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy and endovenous laser ablation are widely used alternatives to surgery for the treatment of varicose veins , but their comparative effectiveness and safety remain uncertain . METHODS In a r and omized trial involving 798 participants with primary varicose veins at 11 centers in the United Kingdom , we compared the outcomes of foam , laser , and surgical treatments . Primary outcomes at 6 months were disease-specific quality of life and generic quality of life , as measured on several scales . Secondary outcomes included complications and measures of clinical success . RESULTS After adjustment for baseline scores and other covariates , the mean disease-specific quality of life was slightly worse after treatment with foam than after surgery ( P=0.006 ) but was similar in the laser and surgery groups . There were no significant differences between the surgery group and the foam or the laser group in measures of generic quality of life . The frequency of procedural complications was similar in the foam group ( 6 % ) and the surgery group ( 7 % ) but was lower in the laser group ( 1 % ) than in the surgery group ( P<0.001 ) ; the frequency of serious adverse events ( approximately 3 % ) was similar among the groups . Measures of clinical success were similar among the groups , but successful ablation of the main trunks of the saphenous vein was less common in the foam group than in the surgery group ( P<0.001 ) . CONCLUSIONS Quality -of-life measures were generally similar among the study groups , with the exception of a slightly worse disease-specific quality of life in the foam group than in the surgery group . All treatments had similar clinical efficacy , but complications were less frequent after laser treatment and ablation rates were lower after foam treatment . ( Funded by the Health Technology Assessment Programme of the National Institute for Health Research ; Current Controlled Trials number , IS RCT N51995477 . ) OBJECTIVES This study aims to compare the efficacy and side effects of foam sclerotherapy of the saphenous veins with or without post-treatment compression using graduated elastic stockings . DESIGN This is a prospect i ve open r and omised controlled trial conducted in two centres . PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty patients with incompetent great ( GSV ) or small saphenous veins ( SSV ) underwent ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy .  R and omisation was conducted immediately after sclerotherapy to two parallel groups , one ( CG ) with compression stockings ( 15 - 20 mmHg worn during the day , for 3 weeks ) and the other ( WCG ) without compression .  Efficacy of sclerotherapy and all of the side effects were assessed , including side effects in the treated region . On days 14 and 28 , clinical and duplex ultrasound ( DUS ) assessment s were performed by independent experts . Patients also completed quality of life ( QOL ) , symptom question naires and provided satisfaction scores .  RESULTS Five men and 55 women ranging in age from 32 to 78 ( mean 57 years ) years were included : 29 in the WCG and 31 in the CG group . On day 28 , abolition of venous reflux and occlusion of the vein was obtained in 100 % of the cases in both groups . The length of the occluded vein was the same in both groups ( mean 36 cm for the GSV and 30 cm for the SSV ) as was the mean diameter of the occluded vein ( 5 mm ) . Symptoms and QOL question naires showed equivalent improvement in both groups on day 28 compared to pre-treatment assessment s. Side effects were few with no statistical difference between the two groups . Patient satisfaction scores were high in both groups for the outcome of sclerotherapy results , and good or very good for compression in 50 % of the CG cases . CONCLUSION We found no difference between compression and control groups when comparing efficacy , side effects , satisfaction scores , symptoms and QOL . Further studies are required to establish the role of compression in sclerotherapy and to evaluate other compression strategies OBJECTIVES Comparison of sapheno-femoral ligation and stripping ( SFL/S ) versus endovenous laser ablation ( EVLA , 980-nm ) in the treatment of great saphenous vein ( GSV ) insufficiency , using local tumescent anaesthesia . DESIGN R and omised , single centre trial . MATERIAL S AND METHODS Patients with GSV incompetence and varicose veins were r and omised to either SFL/S or EVLA . At days 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 , 10 , and 14 post-treatment , patients completed question naires on pain and quality of life . Recurrent varicose veins were evaluated by Duplex ultrasound ( DUS ) performed at 1 and 6 weeks , and 6 and 12 months . RESULTS 130 legs in 121 patients were treated by SFL/S  ( n=68 ) or EVLA ( n=62 ) . Significantly more post-treatment pain was noted after EVLA at days 7 , 10 and 14 ( p<0.01 ; p<0.01 ; p=0.01 ) , more hindrance in mobility at days 7 ( p<0.01 ) and 10 ( p=0.01 ) , and in self care ( p=0.03 ) and daily activities ( p=0.01 ) at day 7 compared to SFL/S. DUS at 1-year follow-up showed 9 % recurrences ( 5/56 ) after EVLA and 10 % ( 5/49 ) after SFL/S. CONCLUSION Both SFL/S and EVLA , using local tumescent anaesthesia , were well tolerated , with no difference in short-term recurrence rate . In the second week after EVLA , patients experienced significantly more pain result ing in restricted mobility , self care and daily activity compared to Introduction : Chronic venous insufficiency is the most common vascular disease in the adult population . However , r and omized clinical trials ( RCTs ) comparing therapeutic options are limited . Patients and Methods : A total of 180 patients with saphenofemoral junction and great saphenous reflux detected on duplex were r and omized to either ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation ( RFA ) or st and ard surgical treatment .  The study participants blindly chose an assignment card that placed them in either group A ( ultrasound-guided RFA of the great saphenous vein [ GSV ] ; n = 90 ) ; or group B ( surgical management n = 90 ) . Patients were followed up for 24 months . Results : The primary occlusion rate in group A was 94.5 % versus 100 % in group B. Radiofrequency ablation had a lower overall complication rate ( P = .02 ) and shorter post-intervention hospital stay ( P = .001 ) . Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant differences in recurrence rates at 24 months follow-up ( P = .45 ) . Radiofrequency ablation was significantly more expensive ( P = .003 ) . Conclusion : Great saphenous vein occlusion was achieved efficiently in 94 % of our group using RFA with minimal complications and obvious advantages as compared to st and ard surgery Endovenous laser ablation ( EVLA ) is a popular minimally invasive treatment for  varicose veins .  Surgical treatment , featuring junctional ligation and inversion stripping , has shown excellent clinical and cost effectiveness . The clinical effectiveness of both treatments was compared within a r and omized trial AIM Major side effects after endovenous laser ablation ( EVLA ) are pain and bruising . The aim of this study was to compare outcome and side effects after EVLA of incompetent great saphenous veins ( GSV ) with a 1 470 nm diode laser ( Ceralas E , biolitec ) using a power of 15 or 25 W. METHODS Between 28 November 2007 and 15 January 2008 , 40 consecutive patients ( 40 legs ) with an incompetent GSV were treated by EVLA .  The patients were r and omized in two groups . In Group A ( 20 patients ) was used a 15-W-power laser and in Group B ( 20 patients ) a 25-W-power laser was used . All patients were re-examined after 1 , 10 and 30 days clinical ly and by Duplex for complications and occlusion in the treated vein segment in a st and ardized way . RESULTS There was no significant difference concerning gender , age , C of CEAP , body mass index or diameter of the treated vein . In Group A a mean of 465 mL tumescence fluid ( TF ) was used and in Group B TF was of 433 mL. In Group A the mean linear endovenous energy density ( LEED ) was 109.7 J/cm and in Group B 132.6 J/cm . The subgroup Bsub included 16 patients of Group B with a comparable mean LEED of 115.8 J/cm . In all groups occlusion of the treated veins was achieved for all patients . The diameter of the GSV reduced at 3 cm below the sapheno-femoral junction from 1.1 to 0.6 cm , 1.0 to 0.6 cm and 0.9 to 0.6 cm respectively in the three groups . The modified CEAP clinical score improved significantly in all groups . In Group A patients have been administered analgesic tablets for a shorter period . There was also a trend to less postinterventional pain and analgesic use in Group A , but it was not significant . Ecchymosis was rare in both groups ( 8 in Group A , 7 in Group B ) . CONCLUSIONS In this prospect i ve r and omized comparative study the power of the laser did not influence the occlusion rate when a high LEED with comparable values was used . In both groups pain and ecchymoses were less frequent in this study with a 1 470 nm diode laser than reported in studies with 810 - 980 nm systems . A lower power level significantly reduced use of analgesic tablets BACKGROUND Great saphenous vein ( GSV ) incompetence is the most common cause of superficial venous insufficiency .  Radiofrequency catheter ablation ( RFA ) is superior to conventional ligation and stripping , and endovenous laser treatment ( EVL ) has emerged as an effective alternative to RFA . This r and omized study evaluated RFA and EVL for superficial venous insufficiency due to GSV incompetence and compared early and 1-year results . METHODS Between June 2006 and May 2008 , patients with symptomatic primary venous insufficiency due to GSV incompetence were r and omized to RFA or EVL .  Patients with bilateral disease were r and omized for treatment of the first leg and received the alternative method on the other . Pretreatment examination included a leg assessment using the Venous Clinical Severity Score ( VCSS ) and CEAP classification . Patients completed the Chronic Venous Insufficiency Question naire 2 ( CIVIQ2 ) . RFA was performed with the ClosurePlus system ( VNUS Medical Technologies , Sunnyvale , Calif ) . EVL was performed with the EVLT system ( AngioDynamics Inc , Queensbury , NY ) . Early ( 1-week and 1-month ) postoperative results of pain , bruising , erythema , and hematoma were recorded . Duplex ultrasound ( DU ) imaging was used at 1 week and 1 year to evaluate vein status . VCSS scores and CEAP clinical class were recorded at each postoperative visit , and quality of life ( QOL ) using CIVIQ2 was assessed at 1 month and 1 year . RESULTS The study enrolled 118 patients ( 141 limbs ) : 46 ( 39 % ) were r and omized to RFA and 48 ( 40 % ) to EVL , and 24 ( 20 % ) had bilateral GSV incompetence . At 1 week , one patient in the RFA group had an open GSV and 
    Output:
    
Conclusions A lack of evidence as to the optimal strategy for compression has result ed in a marked variation in clinical practice .