New Procedure Removes Varicose Veins Without Surgery
Varicose veins are not only unsightly, but they can be painful. Surgery used to be the answer, but a newer option is less invasive.
Posted — UpdatedBen Britt, 29, said he thought he was too young to have varicose veins.
Valves in the veins keep blood flowing efficiently to the heart. When the veins don't work, the blood pools near the skin, and it becomes discolored and swollen.
Britt said he was “actually pretty excited that something could be done about it.”
Medina uses ultrasound to find the vein, and then injects anesthetic above it, at the skin surface.
The catheter has a heating element, and beginning near the junction of the main femoral artery, a series of burns collapses and seals the vein.
Britt has already noticed a difference.
“My one leg that has been treated some, versus my other leg, is less achy at night for sure,” he said.
After the catheter procedure, simple saline injections help erase the discoloration left in small veins at the skin surface.
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