Vein disease treatment is a wide field, ranging from therapies to treat the cosmetic issues of varicose veins to more sophisticated techniques used to correct vein problems at the source, inside the veins themselves. In this article, the vascular doctors of South Palm Cardiovascular Associates present an overview of some of the best of these treatments.
To fully appreciate the advances made in the treatment of vein disease over the last few year, all you have to look at is how varicose veins were treated only a few decades ago. At that time, the only was to eliminate them was to perform invasive surgery – in a hospital, under general anesthesia – by making incisions in the legs and literally scraping away the diseased veins with a scalpel. If this sounds unpleasant, it was, and the results were often far from optimal.
When treating vein diseases such as varicose veins, our Boynton Beach vein specialists always try to start with the most conservative options, using compression stockings, lifestyle and dietary changes, and exercise programs to control the symptoms of vein disease. In many cases these techniques can be successful, but if they are not, they have an arsenal of minimally invasive treatments to draw upon. “Minimally-invasive” means that no surgery or incisions are necessary; the doctors treat the interiors of the veins by inserting a tiny catheter into them to close or remove blockages from diseased veins. In most cases, these procedures are so painless that no anesthesia is necessary.
For example, varicose veins are often removed using ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy (UGS), in which your vascular doctor inserts a tiny catheter smaller than the needle used to give you a vaccination into the vein and inject a sealant that closes the vein so that it can be absorbed into surrounding tissue and allow healthier veins to take over. In many cases this therapy successfully smaller varicose veins, but if the swollen veins are larger, another technique known as radiofrequency ablation can be used to close the veins using high-frequency electrical energy. Like UGS, this procedure takes only about an hour, and most patients can resume their normal activities immediately after treatment, while the varicose veins shrink and disappear over the next week or so. For patients seeking even faster results, these techniques can be used in conjunction with ambulatory phlebotomy,
Most of the treatments for DVT are similarly minimally invasive, involving only the introduction of a tiny catheter into the vein to remove the dangerous blood clots. This can be done using endogenous laser therapy (EVLT), in which a tiny laser is used to clear the blockages, or via a technique called catheter-assisted thrombolysis, which utilizes a device called an Ekos to remove the blockages using a combination of thrombolytic drugs and ultrasound energy.
You can find out more about these techniques and about other minimally-invasive treatments offered by the best vein doctors in Boynton Beach in the Vein Clinic > Endovenous Treatment section of at our website at: http://www.southpalmcardiovascular.com. Or, just give us a call at 561-515-0080 and we’ll set up an appointment for an initial consultation, during which you can ask any questions you might have.
