NCT02627846

Laser Ablation Versus Mechanochemical Ablation Trial

A Randomised Clinical Trial Comparing Endovenous Laser Ablation and Mechanochemical Ablation (ClariVein®) in the Management of Superficial Venous Insufficiency

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 150 (actual)
• Sponsor: Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust · Other Government
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

A randomised clinical trial comparing endovenous laser ablation and mechanochemical ablation (ClariVein®) in the management of superficial venous insufficiency.

Detailed description

Varicose veins, a very common problem in UK, may cause symptoms including pain, heaviness and itching in the lower legs. Overtime, bleeding and damage to surround soft tissues may develop, leading to venous ulcer which can be very painful, debilitating, difficult to heal and very expensive to treat. Newer minimally invasive techniques are preformed using local anaesthetic. The recovery has been shown to be more rapid, due to less pain and disability when compared to open surgery. These techniques use either heat or a chemical/medicine injected inside the varicose veins to close them permanently. In 2013 National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended that methods using heat such as endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) should be first choice as the chemical methods have been shown to have a significantly lower treatment success rates in closing varicose veins permanently. Chemical methods however do have their advantages, as they require far fewer injections of local anaesthetic than the heat methods and these injections can be a source of significant discomfort. Since NICE guidelines, a new treatment technique known as mechanochemical ablation (MOCA) using ClariVein® has been developed. This device injects a chemical into the vein through a rotating hollow wire, which causes the vein to narrow and damages the lining of the vein, making the chemical more effective. This new treatment technique aims to match the success rates of the heat method, but with less pain since it avoids most of the local anaesthetic injections. Both treatments are currently used in the UK, however there is insufficient evidence as to whether one is better, or the same. This trial will randomly allocate volunteer patients to have their varicose veins treated with either EVLA or MOCA. The investigators will assess a range of outcomes including pain scores, success rates, complications, quality-of-life and costs to see which, if any, of these treatments offer better results. Long term follow-ups will occur at 5 and 10 years.

Conditions

• Varicose Veins

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	EVLA	1% Lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine will be used for skin infiltration. The EVLA fibre is introduced into the vein using the Seldinger technique and its tip will be positioned under duplex ultrasound (DUS). Then tumescent anaesthetic, made of a solution of 100ml of 1% Lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine in 900ml of 0.9% Sodium Chloride and buffered to pH 7.4 with 10ml of 8.4% Sodium Bicarbonate, will be infiltrated around the target axial vein under DUS using a spinal needle and a peristaltic pump. Following deployment of appropriate laser safety precautions, the laser energy will be delivered via the fibre. The wavelength used is 1470nm, with NeverTouch Gold-Tip fibre, at 10W power. This laser light energy is converted into heat inducing a permanent, non-thrombotic occlusion.
DEVICE	ClariVein®	1% Lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine will be used for skin infiltration. MOCA is performed by a device called ClariVein® (Vascular Insights, UK) which is a long thin catheter that is passed up inside the vein, with a rotating wire that protrudes at an angle from the end when deployed. This is motorised via an electric motor in the handle and rotates at approximately 3500 revolutions per minute. In addition, liquid sclerotherapy is injected at the handle end by a syringe. This sclerotherapy liquid emerges from the end of the catheter and is present in the area of the rotating tip. The sclerosant will be Sodium Tetradecyl Sulphate (STS), marketed as Fibrovein. Concentration of 1.5% Fibrovein will be used, and maximum of 12ml.
DRUG	Lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine solution	It is used as local anaesthetic given via subcutaneous injection, so that the skin is numb prior to the introduction of either endovenous laser ablation or mechenochemical ablation catheter. Typically 1-2ml is required.
DRUG	Lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine solution	100ml of 1% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine is diluted into 900ml of 0.9% Sodium Chloride to make the tumescent anaesthetic solution, which is required when using endovenous laser ablation.
DRUG	Sodium Bicarbonate	10ml of 8.4% Sodium Bicarbonate is added into the tumescent anaesthetic solution, to buffer the pH to 7.4. Tumescent anaesthetic solution is required when using endovenous laser ablation.
DRUG	Sodium Tetradecyl Sulphate	1.5% of Sodium Tetradecyl Sulphate, marketed as Fibrovein, will be used with the mechanochemical ablation device (ClariVein®). This is a sclerosing agent with Manufacturer Authorisation, and it will be used unmodified. Intravenous injection causes intima inflammation and thrombus formation. This usually occludes the injected vein.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-06-01
• Primary completion: 2018-08-01
• Completion: 2023-09-04
• First posted: 2015-12-11
• Last updated: 2023-09-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom