1.   Costs for each patient were then calculated by multiplying the mean cost per procedure by the number of procedures performed on them.

2.   The results were analysed by treatment group to generate mean annual costs for five years and the accumulated mean costs of treating patients since entering the trial.

3.   The mean cost in the first year of treatment of sclerotherapy patients was a quarter of the mean cost of surgery patients, and this difference is highly significant.

4.   In subsequent years, the number of patients in the trial were too small to compare mean annual costs.

5.   The overall mean cost difference in the first year is insensitive to large changes in the Health Service cost estimates.

6.   Stable to lower rates mean steady borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, which helps stocks.