Varicose vein specialist NYC

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.