Sclerotherapy

Ultrasound guided sclerotherapy is the procedure of choice to treat small and medium sized varicose veins (reticular veins). Varicose veins associated with disease of the great saphenous vein are often treated concurrently with EVLT. Utilizing ultrasound guidance, a very fine needle is placed into the diseased vein and a small volume of medication (sclerosant) in a foamy suspension is injected. The sclerosant acts on the lining of the vein causing it to seal shut. The vein scars down completely over the next few weeks. The needles used are extremely fine minimizing scarring. Local anesthesia is utilized to minimize procedural discomfort. The sclerosants used at The Vein Center are not painful during injection. We use either sodium tetradecyl sulphate or polidocanol. (Hypertonic saline is painful to inject and less effective, and is not used at The Vein Center).

Sclerotherapy is also the best way to treat spider veins. The sclerosants used to treat spider veins are more diluted than those used to treat varicose veins. A light enhanced magnifying lens is used to place a very fine needle into these tiny veins. Small volumes of the sclerosant are injected. This causes the spider veins to become inflamed. Immediately after the injections the spider veins will become red and slightly swollen, sometimes itchy for a few hours. The spider veins then disappear over a few weeks to months following treatment. Depending upon the number of spider veins which need to be treated, more than one session may be required to complete the treatment. Although each session may involve a large number of injections, the needles used are very fine so that pain is not generally a problem. Unlike older sclerosant chemicals, those used at The Vein Center cause no pain at the time of injection.

Patients are instructed to wear graduated compression hosiery (support stockings) for a period of one week following sclerotherapy.