Vascular Procedures
Varicose vein treatment
- Sclerotherapy A health care provider injects the varicose veins with a solution or foam that scars and closes those veins. In a few weeks, treated varicose veins should fade.
The same vein might need to be injected more than once. Sclerotherapy doesn’t require anesthesia and can be done in a health care provider’s office. - Laser treatment. Laser treatment sends strong bursts of light onto the vein, which makes the vein slowly fade and disappear. No cuts or needles are used.
- Catheter-based procedures using radiofrequency or laser energy. This procedure is the preferred treatment for larger varicose veins. A health care provider inserts a thin tube (catheter) into an enlarged vein and heats the tip of the catheter using either radiofrequency or laser energy. As the catheter is removed, the heat destroys the vein by causing it to collapse and seal shut.
- High ligation and vein stripping. This procedure involves tying off a vein before it joins a deep vein and removing the vein through small cuts. This is an outpatient procedure for most people. Removing the vein won’t keep blood from flowing in the leg because veins deeper in the leg take care of the larger volumes of blood.
- Ambulatory phlebectomy (fluh-BEK-tuh-me). A health care provider removes smaller varicose veins through a series of tiny skin punctures. Only the parts of the leg that are being pricked are numbed in this outpatient procedure. Scarring is generally minimal.