5 Minimally Invasive Procedures For Varicose Veins

By Author: Monica Quinn
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If compression garments and other lifestyle adjustments do not cure varicose vein symptoms, your doctor may consider a minimally invasive operation to remove the veins. Many Vein Centers do these treatments under local anesthetic, and you can normally return to normal activities the same day.

1. Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency occlusion, also known as the Venefit™ method, is a fast-healing treatment that destroys varicose veins by delivering heat using electrical energy.

To carry out the surgery, the doctor creates a small incision below the knee. They next use ultrasound to guide a small, flexible tube into the injured vein. The tube then administers electrical heat to portions of the vein in 20-second spurts, causing them to contract and collapse. Your doctor plugs the vein, which is later absorbed by the body. Blood naturally reroutes through healthy veins.

This varicose vein treatment, which typically lasts less than an hour, is conducted in the doctor's office under local anesthesia. You can go home around 30 minutes later ...
... and resume your usual activities right away. Bruising and soreness are possible side effects that should resolve after a few weeks.

2. Endovenous Laser Ablation
Your doctor may seal varicose veins with an endovenous laser, which generates a highly focused beam of light. The VenaCure™ technique involves a doctor puncturing the skin and inserting an IV catheter into a damaged vein. A laser fiber is introduced into the IV to generate heat and damage the vein's wall. This causes it to contract and collapse. The vein is absorbed by the body, and blood flows back to healthy veins, alleviating symptoms.

During the operation, which is done under local anesthesia, you will wear special glasses to shield your eyes from the laser.

The surgery is done in the doctor's office and often takes less than an hour. You can go home around 30 minutes later and resume your usual activities right away. Some people develop bruising, but it usually resolves within a few weeks.

3. Injectable Foam Ablation
Also known as Varithena®, this surgery involves injecting a chemical into an afflicted vein to force it to collapse. The blood is rerouted to healthy veins nearby.

Your NYU Langone vein expert uses a local anesthetic to numb the skin on a leg area, then creates an incision and inserts a small hollow tube known as a catheter into the damaged vein. They then use the catheter to inject a small amount of the drug into the vein.

The treatment takes less than an hour to perform, and you can return home the same day. You can resume normal activities immediately, however your doctor may advise you to avoid exertion for up to two weeks.

4. Ambulatory Phlebectomy
This surgery involves making microscopic punctures in the skin to eliminate varicose veins.

Your doctor injects a topical anesthetic into the skin over the vein and creates a small incision. They next insert a thin metal hook, similar to a small crochet hook, to draw the vein out of the leg. The discomfort is usually modest, and any bruising or swelling is only transitory, lasting a few days to a few weeks.

The treatment takes 30 minutes to an hour. Any scarring is minor and normally fades within a year. A phlebectomy and ablation may be performed concurrently.

5. Sclerotherapy
This surgery is often reserved for cosmetic vein disorders, such as spider veins and tiny veins that produce few or no symptoms.

Your doctor uses a small needle to inject a liquid substance into a vein, irritating the lining and causing it to bulge shut. The body absorbs the vein, rerouting blood to healthy veins.

The operation is usually painless and comfortable, and you can go home right away and resume your normal activities.

Bruising and reddish skin pigmentation on the leg are potential side effects. Bruising usually goes gone within two weeks, but pigmentation changes can continue for months until they vanish.

Greetings, my name is Monica. I graduated from New York Medical College and work as a nurse in Queens Hospital at the moment. The thing I love the most is morning jogging, because it is a wonderful way to keep myself in tonus. I like to communicate with people who care about their health. I became a vegetarian five years ago. Now my daily menu consists mainly of vegetables, fruits and different cheeses. I am a member of water polo team and I love gardening. I like to see how huge flowers grow out of the tiny petal, it dazzles me because I love spending my time outdoors. My goal is to visit all the USA parks, and then all over the world)