Venous Disease Management
Varicose veins may be a sign of something more severe – venous reflux disease.
Healthy leg veins have valves that keep blood flowing to the heart. Venous reflux disease occurs when the valves in the veins of the lower leg stop working properly allowing blood to flow backward, or reflux, and pool in the lower leg vein resulting in enlarged or varicose veins as well as other symptoms
Venous reflux disease affects more than 30 million Americans.
Know the Risk Factors:
- Family history
- Female gender, although varicose veins are nearly as common among men
- Heavy lifting
- High blood pressure
- Limited physical activity
- Multiple pregnancies
- Obesity
- Prolonged standing
Symptoms
Varicose veins are often misunderstood as simply a cosmetic issue. If venous reflux disease is left untreated, symptoms may worsen over time and impact quality of life. Vein valves will continue to not close properly, leading to symptoms such as:
- Varicose veins
- Leg pain, aching, or cramping
- Leg or ankle swelling
- Leg heaviness and fatigue
- Skin changes or rashes
- Ulcers, open wounds, or sores
Treatment
For some patients, compression stockings alone may improve blood flow. For other patients, closing or removing the diseased vein may be necessary to improve blood flow. Our specialist will help you decide which treatment option is best for you.
Venous Ablation
Venous Ablation is a non-invasive, painless, state-of-the-art procedure that can resolve venous reflux in about one hour.
VenaSeal™
When compression stocking are not enough to improve the condition of venous reflux disease our vein specialist uses the VenaSeal™ closure system, a minimally invasive procedure that uses an advanced medical adhesive to safely and effectively closes the diseases vein segment. The VenaSeal™ procedure treats the diseased veins, without traditional heating or stripping the vein out of the leg. This procedure is designed to minimize patient discomfort and reduce recovery time. Unlike other varicose vein treatments, there is rapid return to normal activities.
During the procedure, a specially formulated medical adhesive travels through a ultrasound guided catheter that is placed in specific areas along the diseased vein and closes the vein. This closure reduces or stops the backward flow of blood and directs blood to nearby healthy veins. This approach takes about 30 minutes, no anesthetic is needed and it eliminates the risk of nerve injury.
Most patients feel little, if any, pain during this outpatient procedure and little-to-no-bruising. Only a very small amount of VenaSeal™ adhesive is used to close the vein, your body will naturally absorb the adhesive over time. Another bonus, there is no requirement for patients to wear compression stockings afterwards.
Call (540) 245-7080
to learn more about venous reflux disease and the benefits associated with the VenaSeal™ closure system. Depending on insurance requirements, a referral may or may not be needed.