Incandela 2001.

Methods	Multicentre, placebo‐controlled RCT.
Participants	30 participants with ST confirmed by colour duplex ultrasonography and varices; 14 males, 16 females; mean age 54 years. Not reported if participants were hospitalised or non‐hospitalised.
Interventions	Essaven gel (5 cm of gel). Placebo (5 cm of gel). Study treatment given for 8 weeks.
Outcomes	Analogue clinical/symptomatic score including pain, tenderness, disability, local swelling, erythema, presence of thrombosis.
Notes	All participants received LMWH (enoxaparin 0.1 mL/10 kg of bodyweight od) for initial 4 weeks of study and elastic compression stockings for study period. Funding: not reported. Disclosure of potential COI: not reported, no COI forms available.
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Unclear method of random sequence generation: "randomisation process was controlled by an external statistical controller."
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Method of allocation concealment not reported.
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Double‐blinded. "Placebo comparable to Essaven gel was used," "operators were unaware of the contents of the tube."
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Unclear if all participants included were analysed.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	All prespecified outcomes are reported.