Evaluation of the results of a sclerosing treatment. Concordance between 2 examiners]

With the aim of determining criteria by which results of a sclerosant treatment could be assessed in a multicentric study, 35 sapheno-femoral junctions (26 long saphenous veins and 9 short saphenous veins) treated by sclerotherapy beforehand, were controlled separately and confidentially by two examiners, first clinically, then using the Doppler. The concordance rates were analysed for each of the tests carried out: fascial palpation, clinical and ultrasound percussive permeability, clinical and ultrasound search for reflux, measurement of length of reflux. The results confirm the superiority of the Doppler technique, both in the diagnosis of ostial permeability and reflux (concordance superior at 90% as opposed to 68 to 80% for the clinical tests), and in the quantification of the reflux (strong positive correlation, r = 0.83, between the values given by the two examiners). The doppler technique provides an excellent concordance of differentiated clinical sensibility between the examiners. The permeability, by Doppler, and the length of the audible reflux are proposed as criteria for assessment of the result of a sclerosant treatment, during the follow-up.