Foam bubble size is significantly influenced by sclerosant concentration for polidocanol but not sodium tetradecyl sulphate

Objectives To determine the effect of liquid gas fraction (LGF), sclerosant type and concentration, and filter use on foam bubble size and count. Methods Sclerosant foam microstructure was investigated using light microscopy for a range of LGFs (1 + 2, 1 + 4 and 1 + 8), for both sodium tetradecyl sulphate (STS) and polidocanol (POL), at a range of concentrations (0.5–3%), with and without the addition of micro-filters. Foam was generated using a modified Tessari method and placed into wells for analysis by light microscopy. Foam microscopic morphology was photographically documented, and bubble diameters and counts were quantified. Results Spherical bubbles were observed at lower LGF and a trend towards polyhedral morphology was observed at the higher LGF of (1 + 8). The higher gas content in LGF led to larger but fewer bubbles. POL bubble diameters appeared to be more influenced by concentration than STS with smaller bubbles observed at higher concentrations of POL. The mean bubble diameters were slightly larger for STS than POL at the highest concentration of 3% but smaller at lower concentrations of 1% and 1.5%. Conclusions LGF is the primary determinant of bubble diameter and count. In contrast to STS, POL concentration influences the foam bubble size with smaller bubbles generated at higher concentrations of POL and larger bubbles appearing at low concentrations of this agent.