Endovenous Laser Vein Treatment (EVLT)
This minimally-invasive treatment is an outpatient procedure performed using ultrasound guidance. After applying local anesthetic to the vein, the Interventional Radiologist inserts a thin catheter into the vein and guides it up the great saphenous vein in the thigh. Then laser energy is applied to the inside of the vein. This heats the vein and seals the vein closed.
Reflux within the great saphenous vein leads to pooling in the visible varicose veins below. By closing the great saphenous vein, the twisted and varicosed branch veins, which are close to the skin, shrink and improve in appearance. Once the diseased vein is closed, other healthy veins take over to carry blood from the leg, re-establishing normal flow.
Vein Sclerotherapy
Injection sclerotherapy is used for the treatment of “spider veins” and small to medium-sized varicose veins. Spider veins are tiny, dilated blood vessels which lay just below the surface of the skin. Similar to small to medium-sized varicose veins, spider veins may sometimes result in itching or minor aches.
Sclerotherapy obliterates veins by “burning” the inside of the vein resulting in reabsorption of the vein. This process does not offer a cure for the tendency to develop spider veins, but rather control the condition. This tendency to develop other varicose veins will not be altered by this treatment.