When should varicose veins be operated on?
What are the benefits of endovenous ablation?
Is endovenous laser treatment safe?
How effective is endovenous laser treatment?
What is the best procedure to remove varicose veins?
Do varicose veins come back after laser treatment?
Can EVLT cause blood clots?
Is there any side effects of laser treatment in varicose veins?
Can laser vein removal cause clots?
Does vein ablation help circulation?
Should you get varicose veins removed?
What is the success rate of laser treatment for varicose veins?
The Complete Guide to Endovenous Laser Therapy
Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT) is a popular choice for treating varicose veins. It is safe, minimally invasive, and highly effective. Unlike painful, invasive vein stripping surgery that was once the standard protocol for venous disorders, the Endovenous Laser Therapy procedure doesn’t require general anesthesia.
What Causes Varicose Veins?
The first step in understanding how Endovenous Laser Therapy works is knowing how varicose veins develop in the first place.
What are the Symptoms of Vein Disease?
Varicose veins are the most obvious signs of vein disease, but many patients write them off as an unsightly, uncomfortable, but ultimately harmless nuisance. When varicose veins are left untreated, you may start to notice other symptoms of vein disease.
How Does Endovenous Laser Therapy Work?
All of the advanced varicose vein treatments have the same goal: to close the unhealthy vein so that blood automatically reroutes through healthier vessels. Endovenous Laser Treatment seal unhealthy veins through the use of targeted laser energy.
What are the Side Effects and Risks of Endovenous Laser Therapy?
After the procedure, you might notice some soreness, swelling, and/or bruising around the treated area. Your vein doctor will recommend an over-the-counter pain reliever if needed. These side effects are generally gone within five days of your treatment.
Are There Alternatives to Endovenous Laser Therapy?
Advances in medicine have resulted in a variety of minimally invasive varicose vein treatments that permanently close unhealthy veins. These are some of the other options available to you:
How Do I Choose a Vein Doctor?
The most important consideration when choosing a physician to treat varicose veins is whether the doctor specializes in venous disorders.
What is endovenous laser therapy (EVLT)?
Endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) is a minimally invasive, groundbreaking treatment method for varicose veins, which uses laser energy. Varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins that develop in the legs and can cause discomfort. During this procedure, the heat produced by the laser closes off varicose veins from blood flow.
Why it's done
We usually perform this cutting-edge procedure to eliminate varicose veins that have developed due to an incompetency in one of the saphenous veins.
Our approach
While EVLT has become the gold standard for treating varicose veins, we don't recommend it blindly to our patients. We take time to carefully evaluate your condition, so we can construct a safe, effective treatment plan.
What to expect
We start off by placing a tiny tube or catheter into your vein, typically around the knee area, under local anesthesia. Once inserted, we use ultrasound technology to steer the catheter to the groin area, where we’ll begin to apply smalls busts of laser energy to treat the incompetent saphenous vein.
How to prepare
The best way to prepare for EVLT is to consult with a vascular surgeon prior to receiving the treatment. Our vascular surgeons are best equipped to evaluate the level of incompetency in your saphenous vein, meaning you’ll receive the effective, viable treatment your condition requires.
Recovery
Since this procedure uses a minimally invasive technique, the recovery process is short. We require you to wear an ace bandage and compression stockings until your follow-up appointment, during which time we recommend you stay up and active to keep blood flowing in your legs; this helps reduce the risk of blood clots.
Follow-up care
We follow up on your recovery about a week after the procedure to check for any complications and evaluate the need for future treatments. (In most cases, our surgeons are able to close off varicose veins from blood flow and relieve you of symptoms in just one EVLT session.)
What is EVLT treatment?
If you have large, bulging varicose veins, endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) is an effective minimally invasive procedure that uses targeted laser energy to heat a vein from the inside, causing it to collapse quickly and eventually disappear.
Is laser vein removal painful?
With the use of local anesthetic, the procedure tends not to be painful — the worst discomfort is usually from the multiple injections of local anesthetic.
What is the procedure to remove bulging veins?
If you have large, bulging varicose veins, endovenous laser treatment (EVLT) is an effective minimally invasive procedure that uses targeted laser energy to heat a vein from the inside, causing it to collapse quickly and eventually disappear.
Is EVLT covered by insurance?
If EVLT is performed out of medical necessity, the procedure is usually covered by most insurance policies. Of course it's always a good idea to check with your insurer, because some insurance companies have very specific criteria for what constitutes medical necessity.
What test is used to determine if you are a candidate for EVLT?
If your doctor thinks you're a candidate for EVLT, you'll first be given a venous reflux exam, a painless duplex ultrasound test to see how well or poorly the valves in your vein (s) are performing.
Is laser surgery invasive?
In the hands of a skilled physician, lasers offer far less risk for complications than conventional surgery. The procedure is minimally invasive and requires no general anesthesia. A local anesthetic is used to numb the area where the physician is working.
What is EVLA laser?
Endovenous laser treatment (EVLA, or sometimes referred to as EVLT) is a quick, minimally invasive laser treatment that requires no hospitalization and no complicated surgery.
What to expect at an appointment?
What to Expect – Your Initial Appointment 1 The physician will examine your condition and discuss your diagnosis and treatment plan with you. 2 If you have any questions, your physician will be happy to take the time with you to answer them. 3 At the end of your consultation, our office manager will sit down with you to discuss your insurance benefits.
What are the symptoms of varicose veins?
If left untreated, varicose veins can cause symptoms such as pain, fatigue, itching, burning, and swelling.
How does EVLA work?
With EVLA, a small optic fiber is inserted through a needle into the varicose vein under ultrasound guidance. The laser is activated, and as the optic fiber is removed from the vein, it heats and closes the vein.
Is a syringe invasive?
The procedure is minimally invasive and requires no general anesthesia. A local anesthetic is used to numb the area where the physician is working. Patients are encouraged to walk immediately after the procedure and can resume normal activities the same day.
How many people have varicose veins?
More the 80 million Americans suffer from vein disease, according to estimates. Vein disease is a medical condition that can lead to further health problems or may indicate other medical conditions. If left untreated, varicose veins can cause symptoms such as pain, fatigue, itching, burning, and swelling.
Are You a Good Candidate for EVLT?
Not everyone suffering from varicose veins needs to undergo laser vein treatment; but it can be a good option for those who are experiencing the following:
How Should You Prepare for Endovenous Laser Treatment?
A fairly simple procedure that takes about an hour, ELVT doesn’t hurt and allows patients to head back home within a few hours. Of course, preparing for any type of procedure is important to guarantee the best outcome. Before your procedure be sure to:
What to Do After ELVT
A relatively quick procedure (most patients are only at the clinic about three hours before being released), Endovenous Laser Treatment does still require some degree of aftercare. While your health care provider will give you a detailed list of instructions, here are some basics to prepare for:
