Procedures for Varicose Veins

Your treatment will be tailored to your needs. Varicose veins may be tied off (ligation), destroyed, or removed. Blood will then flow through the healthy veins. Most procedures that treat varicose veins are minimally invasive and have a short recovery period. Your doctor will pick the method that is safest and works best for your type of vein problem.

One or more of the following techniques may be used.

A tiny cut in the skin is made near the varicose vein. A small tube called a catheter is inserted into the vein. Energy or heat released from the catheter tip will make the vein walls collapse and stick together. This stops all blood flow through the vein.

Your doctor will inject the varicose vein with a special chemical that will quickly close the vein from the inside. This is especially useful for smaller veins.

A special hook is used to gently take out a varicose vein through tiny incisions. Microphlebectomy may be done in your doctor's office.

In more severe cases, where larger, deeper veins are involved, the surgeon may tie off and remove veins by making smaller cuts in the skin. Smaller branching veins may also be tied off or removed. This procedure is more painful and may need a longer recovery than other treatment choices. Generally, vein stripping and ligation are advised only for people who cannot be treated with a less invasive procedure.

Your doctor will talk with you about the risks these procedures. These may include:

• Bleeding or swelling
• A sense of numbness, burning, or tingling in areas near the procedure
• Edema or swelling in the legs
• Clots in the deep veins that may travel to the lungs
• Infection
• Scarring