Venous Reflux Disease
Leg veins are designed to return blood from the extremities back up to the larger veins in the body such as the Inferior Vana Cava to ultimately return the blood to the heart. The veins accomplish this against the effects of pressure and gravity, even when we are standing, because of the valves they contain. These valves allow blood to flow in only one direction – back towards the body.
in some people the leg veins become diseased and enlarged, and the valves can become deficient. This causes the vein to become dysfunctional and not adequately return blood back up to the body. This issue occurs in the superficial veins of the leg – most commonly the Great Saphenous Vein, or the GSV. When this vein becomes “incompetent”, pressures in the veins build up, and this can cause pressure to build up in many other veins and branches that are fed by the GSV. These can become enlarged and form “varicose veins.”
Varicose Veins – Before and After
Symptoms: from venous reflux disease and varicose veins include:
- Swelling and edema
- Heavines and tightness
- Pain and discomfort
- Skin discoloration
- Skin ulcers
Risk factors: for developing venous insufficiency include some of the following: Obesity, Age, Female gender, diabetes, genetics, prior blood clots, physical inactivity, prolonged periods of standing.
Varicose Veins – Before and After
Treatment:
Treatment of venous insufficiency and varicose veins depends on symptoms and severity. Every patient will get a prescription for measured and fitted specialized compression stockings. In many patients this can alleviate symptoms
Laser ablation therapy is a very successful minimally invasive procedure that can be performed to essentially eliminate the problem – which is the incompetent superficial vein. This is a simple office procedure that takes 45 minutes to perform, where a small catheter is inserted through an IV in the leg, and heat is applied to the inside of the vein and it burns the vein closed from the inside. What once had to be done through a surgical stripping procedure, can now be done easily in the office.
If you suffer from vein problems, or have any symptoms of them, schedule a visit to undergo one of our special vein ultrasounds. Contact us today.
