ABSTRACT
Venous ulceration had been documented as a medical problem since the fourth century
B.C., and the association between venous disease and lower limb ulcers was most likely
made by Hippocrates (1) who was also the first to propose the treatment of venous ulcers
using compression bandaging. Open surgery and elastic compression therapy have long
been the mainstay of treatment of varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency (CVI);
however, relatively high recurrence rates and postoperative complications have led to the
search for more efficient and less invasive treatments. As a result, the treatment of
varicose veins has started to undergo a transformation.
