Minimally Invasive Treatments for Vein Problems Explained
Vein care includes self-care and medical treatments to help prevent complications like itchy varicose veins and bulging, twisted blood vessels. At the Center for Advanced Vein Care, treatments can also alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. You can prevent varicose and spider veins by exercising, losing excess weight and elevating your legs during the day to encourage blood flow. Some treatments include sclerotherapy, in which your doctor injects chemicals that cause diseased veins to close.
Sclerotherapy
Visible veins can be a source of embarrassment and lowered self-esteem, which can impact the quality of one’s life. Sclerotherapy is a non-surgical procedure that can effectively eliminate visible spider and smaller varicose veins. It involves injecting a solution into the vein using a fine needle. The injection irritates the vein, which causes it to collapse and fade away. The procedure takes less than an hour to complete.
During the procedure, you lie down and elevate your legs. The doctor will use a fine needle to inject the salt or sugar solution into your target vein. You might feel a slight discomfort for one or two minutes. Some people may need multiple injections, depending on the size and number of veins.
Sclerotherapy is effective for most patients with spider or small varicose veins, although it won’t treat large varicose veins. The treatment does not require surgery, and you can resume your usual activities afterward. It’s important to wear compression stockings afterward to promote blood flow and reduce swelling. You might experience bruising and skin discoloration in the area of the injection, which should resolve within a few days.
Endovenous ablation
This minimally invasive procedure (also called endovenous laser ablation) uses a laser or radiofrequency waves to seal off varicose veins, which are swollen and twisted blood vessels. They appear in your legs as blue or purple bulges just under the skin’s surface. Varicose veins cause pain and may lead to more serious medical problems, such as phlebitis (swelling and inflammation of a vein) or leg ulcers.
During the procedure, you receive local or regional anesthesia. You might also be given a sedative to help you relax. Your doctor will make a small incision, usually near the ankle or knee. He or she will then insert a catheter into the affected vein.
You will feel some tenderness or tingling in the area around the treated vein. You might also have bruising. These symptoms can be relieved with over-the-counter pain relief medications. The majority of patients do not experience long-term ablation side effects. However, some people may develop a blood clot in the leg after treatment.
Varithena
Varithena is an effective, minimally invasive treatment for varicose veins that doesn’t require general anesthesia or extended recovery. Your vascular surgeon will assess your varicose veins using ultrasound to identify the diseased veins, then inject varithena foam directly into the affected area. The foam fills and collapses the diseased vein, which is then reabsorbed by your body over time. The procedure takes less than an hour and can be performed in our office.
Varithena involves the use of a highly studied, FDA-approved foam sclerosing agent called polidocanol. This chemical causes the walls of your varicose vein to seal shut and divert blood to other healthy leg veins. This improves both physical symptoms, such as heaviness or itching, and the appearance of varicose veins.
To perform the procedure, your vein specialist will numb the injection site with a small needle. You may feel a brief pinch that’s similar to a mosquito bite. After the procedure, your leg will be wrapped with a compression stocking for 48 hours.
Open venous surgery
If medication and lifestyle changes aren’t enough to ease your symptoms, vascular surgeons at NYU Langone offer minimally invasive procedures to treat varicose veins. These treatments include varicose vein stripping and ligation, which are used to treat chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI occurs when valves in your leg veins become damaged, leading to blood pooling in your legs. This causes pain, swelling, and skin sores. Your doctor may also recommend a treatment called venous thrombosis lysis to break up blood clots in your legs.
Vascular surgeons use a variety of open and minimally invasive techniques to treat vascular diseases that affect the blood vessels, including angioplasty and endovascular stenting. These procedures are guided by imaging technology such as ultrasound and fluoroscopy.
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