The Institute for Vascular Medicine

Varicose veins are unsightly and uncomfortable veins that have lost their ability to take the blood from the legs back up to the heart and lungs. This reversal of flow overfills the veins giving a bulging appearance. The swollen veins cause aching, heavy, tired legs, night cramps, and itching.

Varicose veins are dilated vessels in which the blood is not moving efficiently leading to problems in circulation. When these veins are eliminated, the body reroutes the blood flow into stronger, healthier, deeper veins.

Spider veins are tiny dilated blood vessels (capillaries) located just below the surface of the skin often appearing red, blue or purple in color due to their location. Pregnancy and hormone variation may stimulate their appearance.

Endovenous laser therapy is the newest, most effective and least invasive procedure to treat your symptoms. Using local anesthesia, a thin fiber is inserted into the vein through a needle delivering heat causing it to collapse and seal shut; thus eliminating the vein and eliminating the cause of the symptoms. This is the mainstay of treatment for venous insufficiency.

Visit http://www.vascularsolutions.com/flash/vlpflash/vari-lase_patient_education_video.html for an educational video about this procedure.

This involves the injection of a solution into the diseased veins causing them to shrink, close and gradually disappear. For large pooled varicosities, ultrasound is often used to guide the injections into underlying vessels not seen on the surface of the skin. This delivers medication into a precise location safely and accurately to achieve superior long-lasting results.

This is a "microsurgical" approach for large bulging varicose veins through the surface of the skin. Under local anesthesia, the diseased veins are delicately extracted using specially designed hooks. The incisions are truly stab wounds and are so small, no stitches are needed and there is virtually no scarring.

Spider veins are treated by Liquid Sclerotherapy or surface laser. This involves microinjection of solution into the diseased veins causing them to shrink, close and disappear. No anesthetic is needed since treatment is relatively painless.

The single most important cause of vein disease is hereditary. Approximately 70% of all patients with varicose veins have parents with the same condition. Pregnancy, especially multiple pregnancies, is a contributing cause of vein disease. Other factors influencing vein disease are age, obesity and jobs which require long periods of standing.

Generally, no. If you have a family history of vein disease, there is nothing you can do to change your genes. Being overweight can accelerate the progression of vein disease, and long periods of standing can also add to the problem. Diet and footwear are generally believed to be irrelevant in the formation of vein disease.

Patients should wait at least three months after pregnancy or major surgery before being treated for vein disease. Persons with deep vein thrombosis or incompetence, and patients who cannot ambulate for other reasons are not good candidates for treatment.

Because there are many veins in the leg, the blood that would have flowed through the closed vein simply flows through other healthy veins after the procedure. The loss of the diseased vein is not a problem for the circulatory system.

Varicose veins generally worsen over time. Initially, slight pain and restlessness in the diseased leg will be felt. If untreated, this pain will increase and result in limitations in walking and cramps during sleeping. Eventually, varicose veins can lead to open sores on the foot, blood clots, and tissue loss.

Fortunately, sclerotherapy and endovenous laser therapy have rarely been associated with any serious complications when properly performed. Common minor complications of these procedures include bruising, mild itching, tingling, tenderness and tightness in the treated leg for up to two weeks.

Many insurance companies cover the treatment of vein disease that is associated with substantial pain and other complications, but individual insurance companies may limit the types of therapy that are covered. Medically necessary treatment of vein disease is covered by Medicare.

• Ambulatory Phlebectomy - Post-op Instructions (PDF)
• Chicagoland Mediven Compression Stockings Retailers (PDF)
• Endo Venous Laser Therapy - Patient Information (PDF)
• Endo Venous Laser Therapy - Treatment Form (PDF)
• Endo Venous Laser Therapy - Consent Form (PDF)
• Endo Venous Laser Therapy - Post-op Instructions (PDF)
• Foam Sclerotherapy - Post-op Instructions (PDF)
• Varicose Vein - Office Examination Questionnaire (PDF)