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Varicose vein treatment
For many people, varicose veins are merely a cosmetic problem. But the bulging, twisted veins close to the surface of the leg can cause pain, itching, leg fatigue or other discomfort and lead to more serious problems. Spider veins are a milder version of varicose veins that do not require medical treatment.
If conservative treatments such as elevation and compression hosiery fail, The Hospital of Central Connecticut's interventional radiologists have a variety of options to treat varicose veins,
including:
- Sclerotherapy - The most common treatment, in which the doctor injects a solution into the varicose or spider veins, causing them swell and seal shut. Without a blood supply, the vein turns to scar tissue and is reabsorbed by the body.
- Endovenous laser and radiofrequency ablation - non-surgical treatments in which a catheter equipped with electrodes heats vein walls and destroys the affected vein tissue.
- Phlebectomy - surgical removal of varicose veins via small incisions.
Advantages:
Though more abnormal veins can develop over the years following treatment, current techniques have much higher success rates than traditional treatments.
Varicocele Treatment
Normally, blood flows from the testicles upward, through a network of veins. Valves in the veins prevent blood from flowing back into the testicles. If the valves fail, blood flows back, stretching the veins around the testicle and creating a tangle of blood vessels called a varicocele.
Embolization is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional "open" surgery to treat varicoceles.
The procedure:
You will be a sedative to relax you. The physician will make a small incision, usually in the groin, and thread a catheter to the varicocele site. A blocking agent - a balloon, metal coil or chemical particles - is delivered through the catheter to block blood flow to the varicocele.
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