The treatment is currently being offered in Australia and uses a medically safe glue to permanently seal diseased veins.
Varicose veins result from faulty veins in the legs, which leads to blood pooling. Some patients don’t experience symptoms while others may feel itchiness, swelling, discomfort, or pain.
Treatment for varicose veins has come a long way over the last decade from being an invasive surgery that required patients to stay overnight at a hospital to now being a simple procedure where patients can go home afterward.
Dr. Shannon Thomas explained, “If you have stripping you’ve got a one in five chance the veins will come back in five years. If you have the glue, that risk is about five percent so it’s much less.”
The glue – known as VenaSeal – is injected through a catheter in the leg. An ultrasound is used to guide the catheter and properly deliver the glue.
The procedure has been found to be safe and effective after a 36-month follow-up.
Dr. Thomas added, “That vein gets blocked and over time, the human body is able to reabsorb the glue and reabsorb the vein without leaving any damage behind to the skin. We frequently use them in bypass surgery. The reason these veins exist is they are a heat control mechanism so when you get excessively hot, your body will divert blood flow into the superficial veins.”
In Australia, insurance companies offer a rebate to make this procedure more affordable, giving greater access to more people who need this.
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