Varicose Vein Treatment

Varicose vein patients have been treated with surgery for nearly 100 years. Recovery and discharge from the hospital after varicose vein surgery were also lengthy. Some patients required days in the hospital and then weeks of rest at home.

The early 2000s saw a revolution in varicose vein treatment. For the first time in 2002, interventional radiologist Robert Min and his team treated the saphenous vein non-surgically with Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA). Modern treatment methods used worldwide have replaced traditional surgical procedures.

Varicose vein patients have been treated with surgery for nearly 100 years. In this treatment, a large vein in the leg, called the saphenous vein, is surgically ligated and stripped from the groin to below the knee. All connecting veins are also severed. Recovery and discharge from the hospital after varicose vein surgery are also lengthy. Some patients required days in the hospital and then weeks of rest at home.

Furthermore, surgery was not preferred by both patients and doctors except in unavoidable cases due to the need for general anesthesia, the risk of venous clots and nerve damage in up to 5% of cases, the delay in returning to normal life, and the recurrence of varicose veins in approximately half of patients after surgery. Patients, fearful of surgery due to negative reviews from those who had undergone surgery, preferred to wear compression stockings for life or use medications that, while not therapeutic, provided some relief for some patients.

The early 2000s saw a revolution in varicose vein treatment. In 2002, interventional radiologist Robert Min and his team first performed non-surgical treatment of the saphenous vein using Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA). This method involves entering the vein and closing the damaged vein from the inside with laser energy, as in angiography. Instead of surgically removing the leaking vein and removing it, the vein is surgically removed.

The laser-sealed vein no longer creates a pressure leak into the varicose vein; this occluded vein is then eliminated by the body over time. When the saphenous vein, which has become severely enlarged due to damaged valves, is closed with heat, visible varicose veins shrink and disappear. Those that persist can be easily treated with ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy (foam therapy).

With this paradigm shift in varicose vein treatment, interventional radiologists have gained significant knowledge in ultrasound-guided varicose vein treatment. The fact that radiologists have been diagnosing varicose veins with Doppler imaging for many years has created a significant advantage. While surgical treatments have traditionally focused solely on the Greater Saphenous Vein, it has been observed that a significant portion of varicose vein patients have problems not only with this vein but also with other veins in the leg.

In modern varicose vein treatment, laser ablation allows treatment of all damaged veins, enabling the treatment of varicose veins with this new method to achieve very successful results. Doppler ultrasound, performed by interventional radiologists experienced in varicose vein treatment, allows mapping of all problematic veins and enabling targeted treatments.

All these factors are driving vascular surgeons today to adopt non-surgical treatment techniques. Unfortunately, however, very few vascular surgeons in our country possess detailed Doppler knowledge of varicose veins and can personally diagnose damaged veins and plan their treatment. If you are considering varicose vein treatment using modern methods, the most important thing to consider is that your treating physician is capable of making the diagnosis themselves using Doppler imaging.

For varicose vein treatment, you should thoroughly research your doctor. It is crucial to find an interventional radiologist experienced in varicose vein treatment who can personally diagnose, treat, and monitor their patients using modern methods.