VARICOSE VEIN SPECIALIST NYC
Many
people who have varicose veins use compression stockings. If this doesn't
provide enough symptom relief, the varicose veins can be surgically removed.
Smaller varicose veins can be treated with sclerotherapy.
Most people who have varicose
veins try to manage the symptoms by wearing compression stockings. These
special stockings are meant to help the veins transport blood by applying
pressure to them. If wearing compression stockings doesn't relieve the symptoms
enough, surgical procedures may be considered.
Varicose veins
specialist NYC can be surgically removed the
symptoms or closed off using a number of different techniques. Removing these
veins doesn't affect the blood supply to the legs because the blood is then
"re-directed" and transported by other, healthy veins instead.
Surgical treatment options
Varicose vein surgery is one of the most common forms of surgery.
Varicose veins can be surgically removed or closed off using a number of
different techniques. This will not harm the blood supply in the legs, because
the blood will re-direct into other healthy veins. Surgery can be done on both
superficial and deep veins. In varicose vein surgery, the varicose veins are
removed to relieve the symptoms.
The most common ways to surgically remove varicose veins are:
- Vein
stripping: Two incisions (cuts) are
made: One at the top of the leg just below the groin and one behind the
knee joint or at the ankle. The vein is then tied or clamped off at the
top incision using a technique called vein ligation. A long wire is sent
through the lower incision up through the vein, and at the lower end a
button-like cap is attached to the wire. This allows the entire vein to be
pulled out through the incision near the groin.
- Phlebotomy: Very small incisions of just a few millimeters are
made along the affected vein. A small hook is used to pull the vein out as
far as possible through these incisions and then it is cut and removed in
several pieces. This technique is used mainly for smaller veins that
branch off of the main veins. This procedure uses the small incisions to
avoid the scarring caused when larger cuts are made.
The surgery may have side effects, mainly including pain,
bleeding, swelling, scarring and skin discoloration. Complications such as
infection, thrombosis, or nerve damage are less common. A minority of people
treated for varicose veins will see them grow back after surgery, which means
that further treatment will be needed.
After varicose vein surgery it is usually possible to leave for
home the same day, but sometimes an overnight stay is necessary. If the person
is otherwise healthy and only one leg is being operated on, outpatient surgery
is usually possible. It will take some time though before you can resume your
usual activities and for the swelling to get better and the incisions to heal.
Research has shown that it can take anything from one to three weeks to get
back to work after varicose vein surgery.
More recent treatments
There are various alternatives to the surgical removal of varicose
veins:
- In radiofrequency ablation, heat generated by electromagnetic
waves (radio waves) is used to close off the veins. This procedure
involves inserting a thin radiofrequency ablation (RFA) probe into the
vein through a small incision. The RFA probe contains heats the vein until
it is closed off.
- A treatment known as endogenous laser ablation also
involves closing off the vein from the inside using heat. The procedure is
very similar to radiofrequency ablation, but lasers are used to generate
heat instead of radio waves.
- In transilluminated powered phlebotomy a tiny rotating
blade is inserted into the vein to cut it, and the vein tissue is then removed
using suction. The vein is illuminated from the outside through the skin
so that it can be seen by the surgeon. This approach is only considered as
a treatment option for people whose "great saphenous vein" is
healthy.
Past studies have suggested that the treatment outcomes of
radiofrequency ablation and endogenous laser ablation are similar to the
outcomes of surgery.
The more recent treatments mentioned here may also have side
effects, including pain, bruising and scarring. Complications like nerve damage
or infections are less common than in conventional surgery, though.
There have only been two studies on transilluminated powered
phlebotomy. One of the studies concluded that conventional phlebotomy provides
better pain relief than this newer technique. More research is needed in order
to determine what people with varicose veins can expect from it.
Sclerotherapy
One alternative to the other
treatments described above is called sclerotherapy. This approach involves
injecting a liquid or foam into the affected vein. The injected substance
damages the walls of the vein and closes it off for good. Sclerotherapy is
mainly used for the treatment of small or medium-sized superficial varicose
veins.
Vein
specialist NYC provides the effective treatment. Studies that
compared sclerotherapy with vein stripping showed that there were no clear
differences between the two treatment outcomes. But there weren't enough people
in these studies to be able to draw any reliable conclusions.
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