Varicose Veins:
In healthy veins, blood flows smoothly from the limbs back to the heart, pumped along steadily with the help of valves. Sometimes, the valves in the leg veins weaken or fail, causing the blood to pool or even reverse rather than flowing – a medical condition known as venous reflux. Venous reflux is the cause of varicose veins and their associated pain and symptoms.
After diagnosing venous reflux via Doppler Ultrasound, the vein specialists at Vascular & Interventional Associates treat the diseased veins using Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA), Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA), micro-phlebectomy, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy, or a combination of treatments.
Varicose Vein Treatment
At time of your initial contact with our team, if you show symptoms of vein disease (such as ropey, bulging veins, pain and leg swelling at end of day, clusters of spider veins around the ankles), our vein specialists at VIA Vein Center will recommend a Doppler Vascular Ultrasound to fully evaluate your condition and confirm the presence of venous reflux. The vein specialists will use the results of the ultrasound study to help guide our virtually painless treatment options, which will include one or a combination of the following:
Endovenous Laser Ablation
Often referred to as EVLA or EVLT, endovenous laser ablation is performed under local anesthesia. Using an ultrasound for guidance, our doctors insert a tiny laser fiber into the abnormal vein. The laser is activated and the fiber is slowly withdrawn, the heat from the laser fiber closing the incompetent vein as it is pulled out. This entire non-surgical procedure takes less than an hour, and you can return home virtually pain-free, resuming normal activities within 24 hours.
Ambulatory Phlebectomy
Large, visible, bulging veins often need to be removed via micro-phlebectomy, which is also performed under just local anesthesia. The procedure accomplishes both great cosmetic and symptomatic results. Multiple tiny (1-2mm) incisions are made over the course of the visible veins, which are then gently pulled out with little surgical hooks. Minimal pain and downtime is associated with this procedure.
Ultrasound Guided Chemical Ablation or Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy (UGS)
This treatment is often used on deeper veins that can’t be treated with the laser due to their location deep in the venous system. An FDA-approved chemical is injected into the vein using ultrasound guidance, and then a pressured bandage is applied to help seal the vein shut. The chemical causes the vein walls to stick to themselves, thus closing the vein, with the blood flow diverted back to normal vein channels.
Spider Veins:
Spider veins are small clusters of red, blue, or purple veins that are commonly found on the calves, thighs and ankles. They are often only cosmetic in nature, however, they can sometimes be associated with feeder veins or varicose veins and should be evaluated.
Spider Vein Treatment
Sclerotherapy
The gold standard in treating cosmetic spider veins is sclerotherapy, where, using a tiny needle, a solution is injected into the tiny spider veins, causing the vein walls to swell, stick to each other, and seal shut. The flow of blood is diverted, and the vein turns into scar tissue. The veins should fade within a few weeks, and depending on the severity of the spider veins, 3-5 treatments per affected area may be required for optimal results. Patients are required to wear compression hose for a period of time after each treatment session, but can resume normal activities almost immediately.
Spider veins are mostly cosmetic and, therefore, not typically covered by insurance.
Over 95% of varicose vein treatments are covered by insurance, and our experienced staff will work with you and your provider to determine your varicose vein treatment coverage and medical requirements.
