Registry of the Treatment of Primary Insufficiency of the Great Saphenous Vein With a Diameter >/= 12 mm, Antero-lateral Branches, or Great Saphenous Vein Insufficiency Below the Knee With Mechano-chemical Endovenous Ablation (MOCA)

Varicose veins are a common problem in the World. From epidemiological studies we know that a quarter of the adult population suffers from some sort of varicose veins. Women suffer two to three times more often from varicose veins than men. The occurrence of varicose veins increase with increasing age and is one of the top ten complaints for which patients visit their general practitioner. De main risk factors for developing varicose veins are enduring standing or sitting, pregnancy, female gender and age. Symptoms are divers and vary from cosmetic complaints to difficult to treat venous ulcers.

Last few years endovenous techniques have been developed for the primary treatment of insufficient varicose veins. Radiofrequent ablation (RFA)is, besides endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), an accepted technique and is frequently applied in clinical practice. This technique, that uses heat, has the important advantage that the treatment can be performed using a slight local anaesthesia. Besides that, RFA causes less hematoma, pain, a superior cosmetic and patient are able to restart daily activities sooner than compared to the classical surgical treatment. Because RFA using heat technology, damage can occur in the surrounding tissues. That is the reason for using tumescent anaesthesia, for which multiple injections are needed. A column of liquid is placed surrounding the vein. Many patients experience this column as inconvenient and despite this form of anaesthesia part of the treated patient population experiences pain after the treatment that can last up to weeks.

A newer endovenous technique is mechano-chemical ablation (MOCA) has been developed, using the ClariVein system. This technique uses intentional mechanical damage to the endothelium of the vene by means of a rotating catheter. At the same time a sclerosans is injected, and as a result the vene occludes. So this technique does not use heat technology. Tumescent anaesthesia is therefore not needed and complications related to techniques using heat (RFA and EVLA) such as burning, pain, hematoma, indurations, and paresthesia could be reduced or even be prevented.

MOCA proved to be a safe and effective alternative treatment for both insufficient great saphenous veins (GSV) and small saphenous veins (SSV). Especially for the treatment of the below-knee GSV and the treatment of superficial branches (such as the antero-lateral branches), there is a risk for damaging nerves that are in the close proximity of these veins.

In a series of 50 patients treated with EVLA for insufficient GSV above the knee, a technical success of 100% was reported after a median follow-up of 7 months, but this was accompanied by nerve damage in 8%. A recent study evaluating MOCA for the treatment of SSV reported an anatomical success of 96% without any nerve damage or other major complications. Therefore, MOCA could be an alternative for the treatment of various insufficient varicose vein segments without causing nerve damage.