VARICOSE VEIN TREATMENT

What is varicose vein:

• Varicose vein is abnormally dilated tortuous vein visible under skin in lower limb.
• Reason for varicose vein is damaged valve of vessel. So it leads to accumulation of blood in lower limb due to gravity and form dilated tortuous vessel beneath skin.

Why it is necessary to treat:

• Abnormal accumulation of blood within leg produce various symptoms like limb heaviness after working, limb pain, skin discoloration, loss of leg hair or even non healing wound.

How it can be treated:

• Traditionally, it is treated with surgical removal of vein and it lead to long scar mark in lower limb.
• Now, it can be treated without scar mark or stitches with help of endovascular technique. Available endovascular treatment option are: Endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) and Glue embolization.

How it performed:

• In EVLT: Through small pinhole in leg, laser fiber inserted into damaged vessel and with help of laser energy that vessel is ablated. 
• In Glue embolization: Through small pinhole in leg, glue is injected into damaged vessel so that vessel is permanently blocked.

What are the benefits:

• It is minimally invasive technique so no scar mark or stitches, minimum pain and done under local anesthesia.
• Glue embolization is day care procedure; patient can resume its routine activity just after procedure.

Preparation for procedure:

• Few basic blood investigations like CBC, PT/INR, viral markers.
• Bring all the records including imaging record.
• Signing consent form.

What are risks:

• Very few and rare; hypoesthesia, vessel inflammation, deep vein thrombosis (<1 case in 1000).