Comparison of endovenous laser treatment and high ligation in treatment of limb varicosity: A meta-analysis

: To assess the efficacy and safety of endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) and high ligation (HL) for limb varicosity using meta-analysis. Multiple databases including PubMed, Springer, Excerpta Medica Database, Ovid Technologies, and China Journal Full-text database were searched for relevant studies in English or Chinese, and full-text articles were used to compare EVLT and HL for limb varicosity. Review Manager 5.0 was used to estimate the effects of the results among eligible articles. Forest plots, sensitivity analysis, and bias analysis of the included articles were also conducted. Initial screening yielded 1031 studies, 11 randomised controlled trials involving 1145 limb varicosity patients met the inclusion criteria in this study. The results of the heterogeneity test suggested that intraoperative blood loss mean difference (MD) = -6.31[-9.03, -3.60], P < 0.00001), operative time (MD) = -39.76[-42.27, -37.24], P < 0.00001), rate of complications (odds ratio [OR] = 0.37[0.22, 0.61], P < 0.0001), and recurrence (OR = 0.28[0.16, 0.49], P < 0.0001) were significantly different. Although both EVLT and HL have their own merits and demerits, EVLT is a more effective and safe method to treat limb varicosity.