Does endovenous laser ablation induce endothelial damage at the saphenofemoral junction?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE One of the possible complications of endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) is thrombus progression into the common femoral vein or popliteal vein with the potential risk of pulmonary embolism or stroke. We set out to investigate the effect of laser energy applied under standardized treatment conditions on biomarkers of platelet and endothelial activation and on the hemostatic system. METHODS Twenty patients with incompetence of the great saphenous vein were included in this prospective study. Blood samples of the iliofemoral and anticubital veins were collected before, during, and after EVLA. Plasma levels of soluble (s) P-selectin, soluble thrombomodulin (sTM), prothrombin fragment F1 + 2 (F1 + 2), and D-dimer were measured. (s) P-selectin and sTM were analyzed as surrogate markers of endothelial and platelet activation. F1 + 2 and D-dimer were monitored to quantify the degree of surgical trauma. RESULTS Whereas there was no immediate rise of (s) P-selectin and sTM plasma concentrations in iliofemoral or anticubital blood, plasma levels of F1 + 2 and D-dimer increased significantly after EVLA. CONCLUSION Pulsed mode laser ablation with an 810-nm fiber does not induce measurable platelet and endothelium activation in the iliofemoral or systemic blood. Furthermore, the immediate surgical trauma associated with EVLA appears to be modest.