While your arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from your heart, your
veins bring oxygen-poor blood back to your heart. It’s a huge task
considering the veins must fight gravity to move blood back up to the
heart. But when there is a vein blockage or vein valve malfunction, blood
flow is reduced significantly causing venous insufficiency.
Varicose and spider veins
These are twisted, enlarged veins typically occurring in the legs. For
most people, it’s a relatively harmless cosmetic issue that requires
no care, but some cases can be more dangerous—that’s where
Touro can help. If you have dark purple or blue veins that look twisted
or bulging, or if they ache, burn, throb, or cramp, it's important to
get checked for the underlying cause. Venous insufficiency is the improper
functioning of vein valves in the leg and can lead to more serious or
painful leg issues.
Venous insufficiency symptoms
Leg swelling
Varicose/spider veins
Skin darkening or discoloration of the affected leg
Leg pain, cramps, spasms, itching, or heaviness
Leg ulcers
To improve blood flow, non-medical treatment can include wearing compression
stockings or elevating the leg to alleviate minimal symptoms. In some
cases, new venous insufficiency treatment options may be recommended for
chronic conditions.
A minimally invasive procedure that uses radio frequency energy to treat
varicose veins. During treatment, heat is sent into the veins via a thin,
flexible tube which closes off blood flow and reroutes the blood to healthier veins.
Venaseal (chemical adhesive/glue) ablation
A minimally invasive outpatient procedure that uses medical glue to treat
varicose veins and other vein diseases. The procedure involves using ultrasound
guidance to deliver a small amount of medical adhesive directly into the
affected vein using a small catheter.
Varithena (polidocanol foam) ablation
A minimally invasive outpatient procedure that uses a foam-based medication
injected into the affected veins to close them off. The key component
of the Varithena is a sclerosing agent called polidocanol which irritates
the vein walls causing them to collapse and eventually be absorbed by the body.
Note: Vein ablations use ultrasound guidance during the procedure with
a 5-7 day post ablation follow-up ultrasound.
Sclerotherapy
Varicose and spider veins can be addressed cosmetically with Sclerotherapy
which involves an injection of a chemical solution into the varicose or
spider vein. The solution causes the vein walls to swell, stick together,
and seal shut. This stops the flow of blood and results in the vein fading
within a few weeks. It is important to realize sclerotherapy does not
prevent the development of new spider or varicose veins. This procedure
is performed in the doctor’s office and takes approximately 20-25
minutes. Most patients require two to four treatment sessions.
