Vein Treatment

Vein Treatment

• Varicose veins form when the veins in the legs are unable to help blood return to the heart. These can be caused by a wide variety of reasons with including obesity, pregnancy and smoking. Because of the diseased veins, the blood pools in the legs, causing the veins to swell and may give rise to leg swelling, itchiness, darkening of the skin, make the skin brittle or cause ulcers.

• Thermal ablation and Foam Sclerotherapy are  new technologies which enhances patient comfort, quickens recovery time and delays re-occurrence of varicose veins.
• Firstly, a detailed ultrasound scan is done to ‘map’ the diseased veins of the legs on a diagram. The specialist uses this to treat the diseased veins.
• Thermal
  • Laser ablation
  • Radiofrequency ablation – for incompetent saphenous veins
    • Small access sheath placed into the saphenous vein
    • Through this the thin RFA probe is placed and manipulated to position
• Non-thermal
  • Mechanochemical ablation
  • Foam Sclerotherapy – for small incompetent tributaries
  • Cyanoacrylate ablation

Post-procedural care – RFA and sclerotherapy

• Thigh high level II compression stocking for 10 days (helps with pain, swelling, prevent haematoma formation). Analgesics, NSAIDs
• Walking: keeps calves pumping blood through deep veins and helps prevent DVT (1% risk).
• Follow up appointment in 6 weeks. Ultrasound the legs with further sclerotherapy if needed for residual tributaries