During Treatment…
On the day of your procedure, your leg will be prepped with a Betadine solution
(to cleanse the skin of bacteria). Next, your doctor will use ultrasound to locate
the incompetent (leaking) vein and to confirm the position of the catheter. He will
then inject a small amount of lidocaine over the area of the
diseased vein to numb the area so you will not feel him insert the catheter.
Next, a special solution called tumescent that has numbing medication mixed in it will
be injected along the course of the vein. There will be some discomfort that most people
describe as stinging. Your doctor will then turn on the laser, which causes closure of
the troublesome vein. This only takes a few minutes. At the end of the procedure, you will
be put in a compression stocking. You should be ready to go home within 15 - 30 minutes after the procedure.
You will need to return to the office in three to four days for an ultrasound examination of the
treated vein.
Sometimes, patients may need additional procedures to achieve optimal results. Other treatments
may include phlebectomy (removal of branches of the vein through very tiny incisions) and/or
sclerotherapy (injection of a sclerosing medication directly into the veins to close them off).
We will usually wait until after the laser ablation procedure and see how much improvement occurs
before scheduling any additional procedures since many patients do not require any additional treatment.
Results of Laser Vein Treatments
Laser vein treatments have been performed in the United States for over 7 years in thousands of patients with
excellent success. Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of this procedure in
the short term and long term. This procedure has been shown to be more effective than vein stripping with
significantly less discomfort and less recovery.
The majority of patients do experience bruising and discomfort (described as aching, burning or pulling) along the treated
vein segment in the thigh. This typically resolves within 1 to 3 weeks without long-term problems.
Superficial phlebitis is uncommon but can cause inflammation and discomfort for several weeks and is treated with
over-the-counter mediations. Skin burns are extremely rare and have not been seen in our practice. Blood clots are
possible but fortunately occur less than 1% of the time. When clots do occur, they are treated with a blood thinner
called Lovenox, usually for several weeks.
