Varicose Vein Surgery

Varicose veins are tortuous veins, mostly on the lower legs. They are responsible for tired legs, heaviness in the leg, burning legs and all of this tends to get worse over the years. Initially they are harmless. But as the years go by there is a danger that the socalled communicating or perforating veins (perforators) to the deep veins of the legs can also get diseased with a loss of the vein valves.

They work like heart valves and transport the blood in only one direction, namely in the case of leg veins against gravity back into the direction of the right heart chamber. In Europe it was first detected back in the 1960's that the dermatologist could obliterate the superficial leg veins with a sclerosing agent and that this would prevent the deep veins from ever getting diseased.

Now we know that this technique is safe, does not lead to clots, has always good cosmetic results and takes away the symptoms of aching legs, truly one of the superb medical procedures. It is an office procedure and it can be repeated whenever new varicose veins (="varicosities") redevelop. Here is a link where varicose vein treatment is shown with before and after laser treatment pictures.

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Disclaimer:

This outline is only a teaching aid to patients and should stimulate you to ask the right questions when seeing your doctor. However, the responsibility of treatment stays in the hands of your doctor and you.

References:

1. Habif: Clinical Dermatology, 3rd ed.,1996, Mosby-Year Book, Inc.

2. The Merck Manual, 7th edition, by M. H. Beers et al., Whitehouse Station, N.J., 1999. Chapter 117.

3. Cotran: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease, 6th ed.,1999, W. B. Saunders Company

4. Noble: Textbook of Primary Care Medicine, 3rd ed., 2001, Mosby, Inc.

5. Rakel: Conn's Current Therapy 2001, 53rd ed., 2001, W. B. Saunders Company

6. Goroll: Primary Care Medicine, 4th ed., 2000, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

7. Richard J. Lewis, M.D. at the 42nd Annual St. Paul's Hosp. CME Conf., Nov.1996, Vancouver/BC

8. Jerry Shapiro, Prof. Dermatol., UBC, at 45th Annual St. Paul's Hosp. CME Conf., Nov.1999, Vancouver/BC

9. D Seager Int J Cosmet Surg Vol 6, No. 1, 1998: 27-31.

10. Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, 16th ed.,2000, W. B. Saunders Company

Last Modified: Feb. 2, 2008