|
Treatment
Treatment for venous disease includes a
full spectrum of modalities ranging from
medical therapy to surgical therapy.
Fortunately, minimally invasive surgical
therapy implemented for venous problems
of the lower extremities can be done in
the office, as an outpatient with local
anesthesia and very little, if any,
“downtime.”
The goals of treating varicose veins may
include easing symptoms, avoiding
complications, and improving cosmetic
appearance. Although treatment can
target existing varicose veins, it can’t
keep new veins from forming.
Medical treatment is a common option for
the treatment of varicose veins. These
measures include the following:
·
Avoid excess standing
·
When sitting, elevate your legs above
the level of the heart
·
Exercise gets the legs moving and
improves muscle tone. This will
facilitate venous circulation.
·
Weight loss will alleviate pressure on
the veins.
·
Avoid wearing tight clothing especially
around the waist and upper thighs.
·
Don’t sit with your legs crossed. This
position can aggravate the problem.
·
Compression stockings are elastic
stockings that squeeze your veins and
stop excess blood from flowing
backward.
At The Vein Center of Sarasota we have a
full selection of compression hose in
stock. We also have trained
professionals that will expertly fit
your stockings.
If you do not respond to medical
therapy, there are a variety of
minimally invasive in office procedures
that are available to treat varicose
veins as well as spider veins.
Treatment-Spider Veins
At The Vein Center of Sarasota spider
veins are usually treated with a
combination of sclerotherapy and
cutaneous laser therapy. The use of
these modalities together is known as
the double-injury technique and is
responsible for better results. For the
laser part of the treatment we use the
Dornier 940 laser. The sclerotherapy is
done by injecting small amounts of an
FDA approved medication into the feeder
veins as well as the spider veins.
Two to four 20 minute treatments are
usually required and Dr. Schiro always
tells patients that the legs will look
worse before they look better. The
sessions are usually spaced every two to
six weeks. To optimize the treatment,
wearing compression stockings
continuously for 48 hours after each
treatment session is recommended.
Treatment-Varicose Veins
Patients who present with large ropy
varicosities usually have an incompetent
or “leaky” vein as diagnosed on duplex
ultrasound. If this is the case, the
leaky vein can be ablated by either
laser or radiofrequency endovenous
ablation. These methods have been a
huge breakthrough and have essentially
replaced the more painful vein stripping
operations that require general
anesthesia and hospitalization. The
newer ablation procedures are minimally
invasive and can be done as an
outpatient under local anesthesia at The
Vein Center of Sarasota.
To accomplish this, Dr. Schiro, through
a needle stick, places a flexible tube
called a catheter into the “leaky”
vein. There are tiny electrodes at the
tip of the catheter that emit either
laser or radiofrequency energy that
heat the walls of the varicose vein. As
the catheter is pulled out of the vein,
the energy destroys the inside of the
vein and causes it to collapse and seal
shut. Eventually the body causes the
vein to disappear.
If a few dilated veins remain after this
procedure, they can be removed by
ambulatory phlebectomy. This is done
through very tiny incisions that are
barely visible after healing.
Phlebectomy is also an outpatient local
anesthesia procedure.
 
|
