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varicose veins varicose veins varicose veins varicose veins varicose veins varicose veins varicose Varicose Veins
Less common signs or symptoms may appear and persist. These include: Severe symptoms are a red flag! If you are experiencing any of the following, you should seek a full venous evaluation soon. These include: Varicose Vein Risks Many patients will try to ignore varicose veins; however, treatment is important to prevent dilated, twisted veins, episodes of aching pain, and leg ulcers on the surface of the skin. If left untreated, varicose veins can lead to more serious complications. Early treatment is highly recommended to help prevent the varicose veins from becoming advanced and more difficult to manage. Old Varicose Vein Treatments The old technique for Varicose Vein treatment was known as vein stripping, a painful but effective method that is still in practice in some areas. There are several new techniques such as radio frequency “Closure” and laser based “EVLT” that address these problems more effectively with less pain, with a much shorter recovery time, and more safely due to reduced chance for infection or post-op complications. There is also sclero or injection therapy, foam sclerosants, and ambulatory phlebectomy or Trivex. Most are used with special light devices to make vein treatment more accurate. At AVVC we have used virtually all methods available, and will choose the treatments most suitable for your personal condition. The cause of varicose veins are either weakened vein walls and broken valves in the main superficial vein system or the veins communicating with deep veins in the leg. It is critical to properly diagnose and discern the source of your problems, because the treatment for varicose veins is different for each. It is important that your venous studies that will determine your condition be done by a registered vascular technician in combination with a board certified professional. Enjoy your visit to this site, it is packed with information. If at anytime you have any questions please feel free call our office or contact us and we promise a personal and swift reply from Dr. Carabasi. And thank you for visiting! Depending on the severity of the condition, initial treatment is usually a compression stocking worn while the patient is up and about. The stocking may relieve the symptoms and delay the progression of the condition somewhat, but does not cure the underlying problem. The definitive treatment is to stop the flow of blood back into the legs by surgically destroying the varicose vein. Causes of Varicose Veins: Varicose veins are not something that happen overnight. Usually it takes several to many years for them to develop to a stage where symptoms occur. Occasionally we will see a young person in their 20’s with severe varicose vein issues – these are commonly believed to be inherited. Varicose veins are commonly inherited although its important to note that anyone can get them. Often times varicose veins are common in people who have had certain types of injury to the leg or an episode of deep vein clots. Varicose veins are seen more frequently in today’s society with many standing and sitting professions, which in turn deprive veins of regular circulatory flow of the leg “calf-pump” muscles. Lack of exercise, restrictive clothing, smoking, pregnancy, and weight gain can add to the strain on your veins. The following are sources of Varicose Veins: 1. Incompetent saphenous veins (greater or lesser) 2. Incompetent perforator veins 3. Incompetent branches of the saphenous veins In the first two categories it is important to treat the source of the problem otherwise varicose veins will recur. For incompetent saphenous veins the procedure of choice for many years was ligation (tying off the veins) or ligation and stripping (tying off and removing) from the groin to the knee. Though stripping is still done in some places, multiple studies over the past 6 years have shown equal or greater effectiveness with minimally invasive treatments (Closure RF, EVLT) and with considerably less recovery time, pain and bruising, (Closure RF). For the incompetent perforators the more recently introduced procedure using RF (radio frequency) is proving to be effective and so much simpler than what was previously performed (a SEPS pr Linton procedure). All these procedures are performed on an outpatient basis! Please Note: The main superficial vein in the leg is the Saphenous vein. Communicating or “connector” veins between the Saphenous vein and the deep vein system, are called “Perforatoring” veins. Traditional varicose vein surgeries are "blind procedures" requiring long operative times and multiple incisions. In vein stripping, for instance, a long wire is threaded into the vein from the groin to the ankle and secured to an acorn-shaped head attached to the wire. Traction on the wire at the groin is used to pull the vein out, with the remnants of the vein removed through incisions in the leg. Varicose Veins During Pregnancy: It is common for women to develop varicose veins during their pregnancy. The main cause of this is due to the hormone changes in the woman’s body, and to a lesser extent, weight gain. There are increased levels of progesterone which cause the blood vessels to relax. This problem can be increased due to the fact that the enlarged womb may pressure the major veins that pass through the pelvis which results on pressure in the veins of the legs. Varicose veins during pregnancy are more likely to affect women who have an inherited tendency of varicose veins in their family. Its important to note that varicose veins may disappear after pregnancy however after each subsequent pregnancy varicose veins are more likely to appear and become more visible. For women who had varicose veins in previous pregnancies its important you take precautions if you become pregnant again. |
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