Treatment Options

Sclerotherapy is used commonly for spider veins and small varicose veins.  It involves injecting a small amount of sclerosing liquid into the diseased vein which acts upon the lining of the vein causing it to seal shut eliminating the vein.  It is a quick procedure performed in a physician’s office and no anesthesia is required.

Phlebectomy is a type of surgical stripping of large varicose veins where multiple incisions are made to hook and remove the vein one portion at a time.  Compared to the old method of vein stripping, this procedure can be performed in the physician’s office under local anesthesia and the patient is able to walk out of the office minimizing the post-surgery recovery time. 

Endovenous Laser Therapy has become the alternative treatment to surgical vein stripping for varicose veins.  A thin laser fiber is inserted into the diseased vein, generally through a small puncture in the leg above where the visual symptoms appear.  The physician delivers laser energy through the fiber which causes the vein to close as the fiber is gradually removed.  This procedure can be performed in a physician’s office in less than an hour and the patient is encouraged to walk immediately following the procedure.