FAQs About Sclerotherapy S
By Cindy Asbjornsen, DO, FACPh
clerotherapy is one of the modern procedures used to treat spider veins and varicose veins. Before I address some com- mon questions about sclerotherapy, fi rst let’s briefl y review why someone might need the procedure.
Vein disease (also known as venous disease) is a condition that can include varicose veins or spider veins, and it is one of the most common health problems in the U.S., affecting approxi- mately 50% of the population. Healthy veins carry blood from all the extremities back to the heart. The blood in the legs travels up against gravity, so when the valves in the veins become damaged, blood fl ows back into the legs to create a “pooling” effect. When blood cannot be properly returned through the veins, it can lead to a feeling of heaviness and fatigue and cause varicose veins, among other problems.
the vein's interior wall. This substance causes the vein to become sticky and seal shut, causing the troublesome vein to disappear. Blood then fi nds a healthy path back to the heart. “Ultrasound guided” or “light assisted” defi nes how the vein is visualized dur- ing these injections.
Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy uses ultrasound to locate
veins that are not readily visible and cannot be seen with a light. This procedure is often used to treat perforator veins, or veins that connect the superfi cial system (above the muscles in your leg) to the deep system (veins under and between the muscles of the leg). During light-assisted sclerotherapy, a small, hand-held light illu- minates the veins and tissue directly below the skin, which allows the sclerotherapist to clearly identify the source of the dysfunction.
Common Questions about Sclerotherapy
How long does the treatment take? Number and length of treatments vary from patient to patient.
Each session can take between fi fteen minutes and one hour, de- pending on the complexity of vein patterns and refl ux (inability of the vein to return blood to the heart).
What should someone expect right after sclerotherapy? Immediately following the procedure, there may be mild itch-
Venous insuffi ciency occurs if the valves in the veins become damaged and allow the backward fl ow of blood in the legs.
Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment for a vein
that is not working as it should. The treatment provider uses very small needles to inject a medicine called a sclerosing agent into
14 Essential Living Maine ~ September/October 2016
ing of your legs. It typically resolves within an hour. For the next few days, there may be some tenderness and bruising. About two weeks following the procedure, you may feel hard bumps in the area of the treated vein, which usually disappear over the course of several months.
How will the leg look or feel a week after sclerotherapy? A month? Usually, the changes noticed in the fi rst two months are
improvement in symptoms. Patients have reported to me that their
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