Vein about Your Legs?

from Dr. Heshmat Majlessi

WHAT MAKES OTHER VARICOSE VEIN REMOVAL METHODS INFERIOR TO THE CCS TECHNIQUE?

Stripping
The patient goes to the hospital under a major anesthesia usually; many cuts are made in the leg, between 10 to 40 or 50, and the veins are taken out. This includes a very important vein called the saphenous vein, a long vein from the groin down to the ankle on the inside. This vein in the leg has to be preserved for possible future bypass surgeries in the heart and the lower extremities. In majority of patients most of this vein can be preserved without actually sacrificing it. Is stripping a cure for varicose veins? Not at all. The chance of recurrence is great. Dr. Majlessi sees about 300 to 400 patients a year who have had one or more strippings. They have recurrence of varicose veins in the same leg. Obviously, these are not the old veins, because those were taken out. It's because the leak in the valve has not been found in the leg or the thigh or the back of the knee.

Sclerotherapy
This is good for the spider-size veins - it basically closes them -but not for the larger varicose veins. It makes sense that when you get a treatment you cure the condition. You don't want the patient to come back to your office with the same problem. In order to accomplish that, the doctor should have the expertise to not only treat the large varicose veins but to find the source and close the source as well.

Closure technique
This relatively new technique involves insertion of a wire or fiber into the long saphenous vein and closing this vein from groin down to the knee region. Electro-frequency waves and laser beams can be used to achieve this. Dr. Majlessi does not perform this treatment for several reasons: It usually requires major anesthesia and use of the hospital, it fails to close the incompetent valve which has caused the varicose veins in the leg, experience in the last fifty years with complete stripping has shown that when the physician does not correct the incompetent valves, the varicose veins always come back. Also, there have been rare cases of embolus (clot) and even death reported with closure technique. Considering all these factors, he does not recommend this approach to his patients.

Laser in Treatment of Varicose Veins and Spider Veins The use of laser from outside is unsuccessful in the long treatment of small varicose veins and spiders unless the source is treated before hand. All lasers have no effect on large varicose veins from outside, so all such claims have no scientific basis.

Is it always important to seek treatment for varicose veins? Dr. Majlessi says that, "although, initially the concern is cosmetic in nature but almost invariably these varicose veins enlarge and can cause complications. Symptoms like cramps, aching, and heaviness in the legs are frequent complaints. Later on serious complications, such as ulcers, clotting, and bleeding, could occur some of which are potentially life threatening."

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