Temperature Dependence of the Rheological Characteristics of Polidocanol Foam in Conditions of Continuous Shear Deformation

The foam sclerotherapy is a popular and highly effective method of varicose disease treatment allowing to obtain a positive result in more than 80% of cases. The foams characteristics depend on the kind of sclerosant, its concentration, a type of gas, gas/liquid ratio, and the technique of foam preparation. The present investigation, was carried out to assess the influence of temperature on the rheological characteristics of the foam prepared from an aqueous solution of a sclerosant (polidocanol) in conditions of continuous shear deformation. The dependence of the viscosity of the foam on the shear rate was investigated in the specified temperature range 10–25°С and in the specified shear range γ = 3.75–82.5 s-1 by the Brookfield LVDV-III Ultra CP viscometer connected to a Brookfield TC-102 Circulating Bath with Digital Controller. The viscosity of the foam prepared from a polidocanol solution of investigated concentrations (1%, 3%) increases on temperature decrease and concentration increase in the investigated ranges of temperatures and shear velocities, varying within 0.028–0.165 Pa·s. Key-Words: sclerosant, foam, polidocanol, concentration, viscosity, rheological characteristics, temperature.