Objective To compare the clinical efficacy and complications between endovascular microwave ablation (EMA) combined with foam sclerotherapy and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) combined with foam sclerotherapy in patients with varicose veins of lower extremity. Methods A total of 106 patients with varicose veins of lower extremity were included in the retrospective study.Among them, 54 patients (observation group) were treated with EMA combined with foam sclerotherapy, and 52 patients (control group) were treated with RFA combined with foam sclerotherapy.The related clinical indexes and complications between the two groups were compared. Results The observation group had a shorter procedure time than the control group (34.92±2.35 minutes vs 46.33±2.71 minutes, P＜0.05), and no significant differences were observed in the other procedure parameters.The hospitalization cost was (21063.74±850.47) yuan for the observation group and (23312.40±1035.86) yuan for the control group, and the hospitalization cost of the observation group was lower(P＜0.05).No significant differences were found in the total effective rate,total satisfaction and complication rate between the two groups.Comparison of venous clinical severity score (VCSS) and Aberdeen varicose vein questionnaire (AVVQ) scores before and one year after operation between the two groups showed no statistical differences (P＞0.05). While the VCSS and AVVQ scores of the patients showed a significant downward trend one year after operation (P＜0.05). Conclusions Microwave ablation is an effective treatment for varicose veins in the lower extremity, which has the same good short-term effect as radiofrequency ablation. Microwave ablation requires a shorter operation time and less cost.