The disease of enlarged, dilated and lost elastic veins is called varicose veins. The result of the disease is not only obvious cosmetic defects, but also the formation of ulcers, accompanied by severe pain. Laser treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities is one of the most modern and painless methods to eliminate the disease.
Process record
Laser treatment of varicose veins using an ultrasound duplex scanner. In this case, the hemoglobin of the red blood cells absorbs laser energy.
As a result, they are converted into heat in a few seconds, and their calorific value reaches 100 degrees. The plasma and its elements boil. This process can be compared to a thermal burn of the vein wall, which causes the formation of blood clots.
After a short time, the vein dissolves and becomes almost invisible. If the disease is in an advanced state, it is necessary to repeat the operation. It can be completed within 30 to 40 days at most.
The popularity of this method is due to its inherent advantages. The most important of these is:
- The operation is performed on an outpatient basis. The patient only spends a few hours in the clinic.
- This procedure does not require general anesthesia. Only the position where the anesthesia laser catheter is inserted into the vein is sufficient. Therefore, the recovery period is significantly shortened.
- No medication is required after surgery.
- Experts monitor the progress of the operation by using color Doppler ultrasound monitoring. This ensures the accuracy of the process.
- After the operation, the patient's skin has no stitches, stab wounds or other cosmetic defects.
- No bed rest is required after surgery.
- Surgery using a single instrument designed for endovascular intervention. Therefore, the risk of infection in the body can be minimized.
The existence of these and other advantages confirms the effectiveness and efficiency of the laser method for removing varicose veins.
Laser surgery indications
For patients diagnosed with enlarged saphenous veins and small saphenous veins, laser treatment for varicose veins is recommended. In this case, the expanded size of the venous hole does not exceed 1 cm, and the blood vessel is positioned uniformly without forming many bends.
The use of lasers is only effective when the disease is in the early stages of development.
People who are prohibited from using this method
If the disease is in the second, third or fourth stage of development, laser resection of leg veins is not recommended. The reason is that the veins may enlarge again.
In addition, it should be noted that the laser will affect a small part of the vein, so as to avoid damage to the surrounding tissues. If a person's venous disease is very large, then the use of laser therapy will not be able to obtain the desired results.
If we talk about the contraindications of laser, we can roughly divide them into 2 groups:
- Absolutely.This includes situations where the use of lasers is strictly prohibited:
- Patients may develop thrombophlebitis;
- Chronic blood disease is observed;
- Severe lesions on the vein wall.
In these cases, the use of lasers can cause a lot of blood clots.
- Relatively.The contraindications in this group will force the use of laser to delay surgery for a period of time:
- There are wounds or ulcers on the surface of the patient’s skin. They must be cured first. Otherwise, the possibility of postoperative complications is not ruled out;
- Pregnancy and lactation. At this time, the female's body is weakened, and the lower limbs also bear a heavy burden.
- Overweight.
If the patient has the first group of contraindications, experts recommend that he use other methods to treat varicose veins. If there are relative contraindications, they must be removed before laser therapy.
Preparation
One of the advantages of laser vein therapy is that patients do not need to go through a long preparation period.
The preparation before the operation is a standard inspection, which includes the following operations:
- Blood and urine analysis, which determines the presence of sugar levels, determines the degree of blood clotting, performs blood biochemistry, and determines Rh factors and blood types.
- Test for the presence of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases;
- With the help of ultrasound, experts can accurately determine the location of leg vein dilation;
- If the patient is very agitated, give sedatives.
After these operations are completed, you can continue the operation itself.
Which method to choose
For the treatment of varicose veins, in addition to intravascular laser coagulation, several effective methods can also be used. Here are the most popular among them:- Compression therapy.The essence of this method is to externally compress the vein, thereby reducing the size of the vein. After surgery, the vein length may increase. In most patients, compression therapy is required throughout the life. Laser surgery on leg veins eliminates this need.
- Vein extraction.In this case, the vein is surgically disconnected from the normal venous system. In this case, the diseased vein will be completely removed, thereby minimizing the recurrence of the disease. The disadvantage of this method is that general anesthesia must be used, which will extend the recovery period to 3-4 weeks.
- Sclerotherapy.This is an invasive treatment using special foam. The patient is injected with sclerosing agent to make the blood vessels stick together. Do not rule out the possibility of postoperative consequences such as tissue scars, skin surface necrosis, allergies, migraines, etc.
- Radiofrequency ablation of veins.By using radio waves. Insert the catheter into the vein. Radio waves can cause heat to build up and stick to the walls of veins. This method is forbidden for patients with pacemakers or defibrillators.
Among all the above methods, EVLO for varicose veins is the softest and most effective. The final decision to choose a treatment for varicose veins can only be made after a thorough examination and the recommendation of a professional phlebologist.
Take action
The process of removing varicose veins with laser does not exceed 30 minutes. It is carried out in several stages:
- Based on the previously drawn patient vein map, the specialist performs the local anesthesia that will be punctured.
- Insert a laser-equipped catheter into the blood vessel cavity.
- The catheter is gradually advanced to the groin area and then pulled back. In this case, energy is emitted, causing the vein to seal.
In order not to damage the mucous membrane of the eyes, the patient must first wear protective glasses.
How long
One of the advantages of the leg blood vessel laser coagulation method is that the operation itself does not exceed 30 minutes.
After that, patients can leave the clinic on their own. The short duration of this method is due to the lack of general anesthesia and the surgical incision on the skin surface of the patient's leg.
Recovery after operation
Laser treatment of varicose veins has a shorter operation period. In order to make it pass correctly, experts recommend that patients abide by the following rules:
- wearing compression clothing;
- Avoid heavy loads on the legs;
- Walk in nature as much as possible;
- Perform ultrasound scan 10-14 days after surgery. This will provide experts with a picture of the human vein state of the intervention site.
Within 2-3 months, the patient has fully recovered and is ready to lead a normal life.
Results and possible consequences
If laser vein surgery is performed in time, the possibility of recurrence of the disease is very low. A few months later, the patient returned to a normal and familiar lifestyle.
The adverse consequences of surgery to remove varicose veins in the legs are very rare. Usually, this may be a slight pigmentation of the skin where the puncture is performed. It can be eliminated by taking drugs.
Average cost of laser treatment
It is safe to say that the cost of laser treatment of varicose veins is the only drawback of this method. It depends on many factors, such as the extent of the disease, the equipment used for the operation, the individual characteristics of the patient, and other factors.
Despite the high cost, this method is considered the most effective in the world.