VEIN STRIPPING VS. MINIMAL INVASIVE TREATMENT
Vein stripping is a surgical procedure done under general or local anesthesia to aid in the treatment of varicose veins and other manifestations of chronic venous disease. The vein “stripped” (pulled out from under the skin using minimal incisions) is usually the great saphenous vein. Varicose veins are swollen, twisted, and enlarged veins that you can see under the skin. They are often red or blue in color. They usually appear in the legs, but can occur in other parts of the body. Normally, valves in your veins keep your blood flowing up toward the heart, so the blood does not collect in one place. These valves can get damaged. This causes the veins to become filled with blood which can’t travel upwards, especially when you are standing. Vein stripping is used to remove or tie off a large vein in the leg called the superficial saphenous vein. This helps treat varicose veins. Vein stripping usually takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You may receive either:
- General anesthesia: in which you will be asleep and unable to feel pain.
- Spinal anesthesia: which will make the lower half of your body feel numb. You may also get medicine to help you relax.
During surgery:
- Your surgeon will make 2 or 3 small cuts in your leg.
- The cuts are near the top, middle, and bottom of your damaged vein. One is in your groin. The other will be farther down your leg, either in your calf or ankle.
- Your surgeon will then thread a thin, flexible plastic wire into the vein through your groin and guide the wire through the vein toward the other cut farther down your leg.
- The wire is then tied to the vein and pulled out through the lower cut, which pulls the vein out with it.
- If you have other damaged veins near the surface of your skin, your surgeon may also make small cuts over them to remove them or tie them off.
- The surgeon will close the cuts with stitches.
- You will wear bandages and compression stockings on your leg after the procedure.
- This is an invasive surgery, which may damage other parts of your leg when the vein is being stripped.
After the Procedure:
Your legs will be wrapped with bandages to control swelling and bleeding for 3 to 5 days after surgery. You may need to keep them wrapped for several weeks. This procedure can be very painful and has a few week recovery time it varies from person to person. The older, surgical treatment for varicose veins was “stripping” — removing leg veins through incisions under general anesthesia. Surgery has been largely replaced by less invasive options that include injections, laser, radiofrequency energy, and mechanical chemically assisted method. Growing numbers of vein treatment centers throughout the United States are making these treatments available to more Americans. The approach that’s best for you depends on the size, type, and location of your varicose veins. This is why we have you come in to see Dr. Kaveh so he can help you decide which treatment would work best for you.
Minimally invasive approaches:
If you’ve tried self-help without much success, you may want to consider a minimally invasive procedure. If your needs are purely cosmetic, Here at the Alpha Vein Clinic we can still help, Even if you are just experiencing leg pain and swelling. Therapy is considered medically necessary if your symptoms limit your everyday activities, or if the veins have ruptured or caused sores that are difficult to treat.
Vein procedures are performed by many different specialists, including dermatologists, interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons, and plastic surgeons based in hospitals or medical centers. Specialized vein treatment centers like the Alpha Vein Clinic specialize in leg pain and vein disease. We will give you an ultrasound to check for underlying problems in the deeper leg veins. We will also address complications or unexpected findings or refer you to someone who can. Come into our beautiful Las Vegas office or call us today at (702) 430 7661. Let us get you started on a path to recovery now. You don’t have to suffer anymore with the Alpha Vein Clinic.
Alpha Vein Clinic
3150 N. Tenaya Way Ste. 400
Las Vegas, NV, 89128
(702) 430 7661
Dr. Sassan Kaveh
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