ions contributing to varicose veins include genetics, obesity, pregnancy, hormonal changes at menopause, work or hobbies requiring extended standing, and past vein diseases, such as thrombophlebitis (inflammation of a vein as a blood clot forms.) Women suffer from varicose veins more than men, and the incidence increases to 50 percent of people over age 50.
What are the symptoms?
Varicose veins may ache, and feet and ankles may swell towards day's end, especially in hot weather. Varicose veins can get sore and inflamed, causing redness of the skin around them. In some cases, patients may develop venous ulcerations.
What are venous ulcerations?
Venous ulcerations are areas of the lower leg where the skin has died and exposed the flesh beneath. Ulcers can range from the size of a penny to completely encircling the leg. They are painful, odorous, open wounds that weep fluid and can last for months or even years. Most leg ulcers occur when vein disease is left untreated. They are most common among older people but can also affect individuals as young as 18.
What is the short-term treatment for varicose veins?
ESES (pronounced "ess-ess") stands for Exercise, Stockings, Elevation and Still and is an easy way to remember the conservative approach to relieving varicose vein symptoms. Exercising, wearing compression hose, elevating and resting the legs may provide some symptomatic relief; however, these measures will not make the veins go away or necessarily prevent them from worsening, because the underlying disease (venous reflux) has not been addressed. Weight reduction is also helpful. For inflamed areas or an infection, topical antibiotics may be prescribed. If ulcers develop, medication and dressings should be changed regularly.
What is sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy as a procedure in which a chemical injection, such as a saline or detergent solution, is injected into a vein causing it to "spasm" and close up. Other veins then take over its work. This may bring only temporary success, and varicose veins frequently recur. Sclerotherapy is most effective on smaller surface veins, less than 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter.
What is ambulatory phlebectomy?
Ambulatory phlebectomy is a surgical procedure for treating surface veins in which multiple small incisions are made along a varicose vein, and the vein is "fished out" of the leg using surgical hooks or forceps. Ambulatory phlebectomy is done under local or regional anesthesia, in a hospital operating room or the procedure room of a doctor's office.
What is vein stripping?
If the source of the reverse blood flow is due to damaged valves in the saphenous vein, the vein may be removed by a surgical procedure known as vein stripping. Under general anesthesia, all or part of the vein is tied off and pulled out. The legs are bandaged after the surgery, but swelling and bruising may last for weeks. The minimally invasive VNUS® Closure® procedure and VenaCure EVLTTM are now considered more desirable alternatives to vein stripping.
When is Closure® used?
The Closure procedure, like vein stripping, is used to eliminate reverse blood flow (venous reflux) in the great saphenous vein. But unlike in vein stripping, the vein is not physically removed, and the procedure can be performed without general anesthesia. Like other venous procedures, the Closure procedure involves risks and potential complications. You should consult your doctor to determine whether or not you are a candidate for this procedure and if your condition presents any special risks. Complications reported in medical literature include numbness or tingling (paresthesia), skin burns, blood clots, and temporary tenderness in the treated limb.
What is the main difference between arteries and veins?
In simplest terms, arteries pump oxygen-rich blood from the heart, and veins return oxygen-depleted blood to the heart.
What are the three main categories of veins?
Deep leg veins return blood directly to the heart and are in the center of the leg, near the bones. Superficial leg veins are just beneath the skin. They have less suppo