During the study period 298 patients underwent surgical intervention. A total of 204 patients underwent RFA. Sixty-six percent of all patients were female. RFA was associated with a reduction in the requirement for general anesthesia (41% v 100%, P=0.000), overnight hospital stay (22% v 82%, P=0.000) and pre-operative blood tests (5% v 38%, P=0.000) when compared with open ligation. The overall success rate for RFA was 98%. No significant inter-group difference was noted for 30-day readmission (p=0.203). The cost of open surgery was significantly less than RFA (€996 v. €734, P=0.000). Subgroup analysis with regard RFA identified a reduction in cost (€1024 v. €971, P=0.003) as well as hospital overnight stays (10% v 36%) with an increase in the use of intravenous sedation as opposed to general anaesthetic (18% v 60%) over a 13-month period.