Generation of therapeutic microfoam

Abstract

Improved therapeutic sclerosing microfoams and methods and devices for making them are provided that have advantage in producing a consistent profile injectable foam with minimal input by the physician yet using high volume percentages of blood dispersible gases, thus avoiding use of potentially hazardous amounts of nitrogen.

1 - 67 . (canceled) 
     
     
         68 . A microfoam comprising a gas component and an aqueous sclerosant liquid wherein the microfoam is obtained by mixing the components by passing the gas component and the aqueous sclerosant liquid through at least one passage, wherein:
 the gas component comprises a physiologically acceptable blood dispersible gas comprising 10 to 100% vol/vol carbon dioxide or a mixture of 10 to 99% vol/vol carbon dioxide with the remaining gas oxygen,   the aqueous sclerosant liquid comprises at least one sclerosing agent selected from the group consisting of polidocanol and sodium tetradecylsulfate (STS),   the at least one passage has a diameter ranging from about 5 μm to about 25 μm, and   the microfoam comprises gas bubbles, at least 95% by number of the gas bubbles having a diameter less than 250 μm.   
     
     
         69 . The microfoam of  claim 68 , wherein the physiologically acceptable blood dispersible gas comprises 10 to 40% vol/vol carbon dioxide or a mixture of 10 to 40% carbon dioxide vol/vol with the remaining gas oxygen. 
     
     
         70 . The microfoam of  claim 68 , wherein the physiologically acceptable blood dispersible gas comprises 20 to 30% vol/vol carbon dioxide or a mixture of 20 to 30% carbon dioxide vol/vol with the remaining gas oxygen. 
     
     
         71 . The microfoam of  claim 68 , wherein the aqueous sclerosant liquid comprises 1% vol/vol polidocanol in an aqueous carrier. 
     
     
         72 . The microfoam of  claim 68 , wherein the density of the microfoam ranges from 0.07 g/ml to 0.19 g/ml. 
     
     
         73 . The microfoam of  claim 68 , wherein the density of the microfoam ranges from 0.11 g/ml to 0.14 g/ml. 
     
     
         74 . The microfoam of  claim 68 , wherein the aqueous sclerosant liquid is a solution of polidocanol in an aqueous carrier or sodium tetradecylsulfate (STS) in an aqueous carrier. 
     
     
         75 . The microfoam of  claim 68 , wherein the aqueous sclerosant liquid is a solution of polidocanol in an aqueous carrier having a concentration of polidocanol from 0.5 to 4% vol/vol in the solution. 
     
     
         76 . The microfoam of  claim 68 , wherein the aqueous sclerosant liquid further comprises glycerol. 
     
     
         77 . A microfoam obtained by passing a gas component and a sclerosant liquid through at least one passage having a diameter ranging from about 5 μm to about 25 μm, wherein:
 the gas component comprises about 20 to about 99% vol/vol carbon dioxide or a mixture of about 20 to about 99% vol/vol carbon dioxide and about 1% to about 80% vol/vol oxygen; and 
 the sclerosant liquid comprises at least one scloerosing agent selected form the group consisting of polidocanol and sodium tetradecylsulfate (STS), and 
 the microfoam comprises gas bubbles, at least 95% by number of the gas bubbles having a diameter less than 250 μm. 
 
     
     
         78 . The microfoam of  claim 77 , wherein the sclerosant liquid comprises polidocanol in an aqueous carrier or sodium tetradecylsulfate (STS) in an aqueous carrier. 
     
     
         79 . The microfoam of  claim 77 , wherein the sclerosant liquid comprises polidocanol in an aqueous carrier having a concentration of about 1% vol/vol polidocanol in the solution. 
     
     
         80 . The microfoam of  claim 77 , wherein the sclerosant liquid comprises polidocanol in an aqueous carrier having a concentration of about 0.5 to about 4% vol/vol polidocanol in the solution. 
     
     
         81 . The microfoam of  claim 77 , wherein the density of the microfoam ranges from about 0.09 g/ml to about 0.16 g/ml.