Varicose Vein Treatment

What is the Best Treatment for Venous Disease?

Many patients across Australia avoid varicose vein treatment because they have been told it will cause too much distress, disfigurement and disruption of activities.

With the new forms of minimally invasive therapy there is a rapid, almost immediate return to work and normal activities with little or no “downtime”.

In addition these new forms of therapy are typically very well tolerated with minimal discomfort.

• Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA)
  EVLA is very effective in treating larger veins, especially those larger than 5 mm, and is usually performed on veins such as the Great and Small Saphenous Veins and the Anterior Accessory Vein. This therapy is usually performed on the large veins that previously required surgical ligation and stripping.

• Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy (UGS)
  This method of therapy is used in the treatment of small to medium sized veins. Here, typically under ultrasound guidance the diseased vein is injected with a “sclerosant”, either Polidocanol (Aethoxysklerol) or Fibrovein (Sodium tetradecyl sulphate). These drugs are extremely effective and have been around since 1961 and 1935 respectively and have a long track record and an incredible safety profile.

• Ambulatory phlebectomy
  This form of treatment refers to excision of large surface veins through small incisions (1-2mm) under local anaesthetic as an outpatient procedure. This is typically performed in conjunction with endovenous laser ablation and /or ultrasound guided sclerotherapy.

• Microsclerotherapy
  This form of treatment involves injecting a “sclerosant”, either Polidocanol (Aethoxysklerol) or Fibrovein (Sodium tetradecyl sulphate) directly into each vein with very fine needles. This is a highly effective treatment for small skin surface spider veins.

• Conservative treatment with compression stockings may be the best option

The varicose vein treatment chosen is always individualised and depends on several factors including:

• Where disease is located
• Severity and extent of the disease
• Patient’s age
• Associated medical conditions

VEINLITE:

At Specialist Vein Care we have additional state of the art technology to help us find difficult to locate veins, allowing for more accurate and effective treatment.

Veinlite uses ultra-bright LED light arrays to transilluminate the skin, allowing for visualisation of veins below the skin surface (up to 6mm), which otherwise may be difficult or impossible to see.

This allows us to find elusive veins which would otherwise be potentially missed but which require treatment to obtain a positive outcome when treating smaller veins of the legs.

Please see the photo above to see VeinLite in action.