Does Laser Vein Removal Always Work

Does Laser Vein Removal Always Work

Laser vein removal has a good success rate among patients that need the treatment. However, just like a lot of other medical procedures, it doesn’t work 100% of the time for every patient. Luckily, that doesn’t mean you out of treatment options.

There are several approaches that were used long before laser vein removal was an option. If the newest version of the procedure doesn’t seem to be answer, talk to your cardiologist about the other treatments on the list.

Taking Invasive Measures

Laser vein removal is the preferred method to deal with patients who are at-risk for developing deep vein thrombosis. It’s important that they undergo treatment before blood clots begin to form throughout their vascular system.

Sometimes patients don’t respond well to the minimally invasive options, but there are other approaches a cardiologist can fall back on to make sure the risk factor is properly dealt with.

One of the oldest methods in the book comes from 1939. It’s called Scierotherapy. It involves injecting either a highly concentrated salt solution or specially formulated detergent directly into the vein. It may not appear to work right away, but over the next six weeks the vein will slowly disappear.

There are also four different types of surgical procedure that can be performed on varicose veins.

They are:

1.    Ligation

2.    Stripping

3.    Ambulatory phlebectomy

4.    Endoscopic vein surgery

For the most part, the surgeries are all outpatient procedures.

Each Procedure Explained

The decision on which procedure to perform will be based on the location of the vein to be treated and the effectiveness of the procedure in that location. Varicose veins typically start out in the legs, but they can also appear on the chest and abdomen.

Ligation is simply the act of tying off a vein at either side of the opening. Essentially, this redirects the blood flow to other areas of the body. By cutting off the blood supply to the vein, it will eventually collapse on its own.

Stripping the vein is simply removing segments of the varicose vein from the body through very small incisions. Ambulatory phlebectomy involves removing large sections of surface veins through relatively small incisions.

Endoscopic vein surgery is the breakthrough that led to laser vein removal. The surgeon uses a camera to see the inside of the vein and figure out which of the veins needs to be removed.

These methods are usually covered by most insurance plans because they are not being used for strictly cosmetic purposes. Approvals take time, but they are worth it.

Dr. Seldon, a Heart Doctor and Cardiologist in New York City, offers same day appointments and all testing is done on site.  Call us at (212) 367-8000.