Varicose Veins
Surgery
Surgery may be used to treat varicose veins if:
- The varicose veins have not responded to home treatment and your symptoms are bothersome.
- You are concerned about the way varicose veins look, and laser treatment, radiofrequency treatment, or sclerotherapy is not likely to improve their appearance to your satisfaction.
For more information on making the decision about surgery, see:
Tying off (ligation) and removing (stripping) larger varicose veins is a standard surgical treatment. However, newer, less invasive techniques are likely to give good results with less risk.3 These techniques include laser treatment (including endovenous laser), microphlebectomy, or stab avulsion, and radiofrequency treatment.
Direct vein reconstruction of damaged veins caused by deep vein problems or diseases is done on a limited basis. It is considered an experimental treatment and not often done.
Surgery Choices
- Vein ligation and stripping involves tying off (ligation) and removing (stripping) larger varicose veins.
What To Think About
If you are considering surgery, you will probably need to have tests (such as duplex ultrasound) to pinpoint where damaged valves are in your veins. This can increase the chances of having a successful surgery.
Some people may want to have surgery to improve how their legs look, even though their varicose veins are not causing other problems. Surgery may be appropriate in some cases as long as you do not have other health problems that make the treatment risky.
Keep in mind that surgery for varicose veins done only for cosmetic reasons (that is, not medically necessary) is usually not covered by provincial health plans, but may be partially covered by some private insurance plans.
In some cases, a combination of surgery and sclerotherapy, a non-surgical procedure in which a chemical is injected into the vein causing it to close off, may be used to treat varicose veins.
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| Author: | Douglas Dana Kathe Gallagher, MSW | Last Updated: May 10, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine David A. Szalay, MD - Vascular Surgery | |
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