The Vein Center at Cardiology Associates is supported by an experienced team of physicians, registered nurses, vascular technicians and support staff all trained in diagnosing and treating venous disorders whether they are indicative of more serious issues or cosmetic. The Center is equipped with state-of-the-art technology including the Dornier 940 Laser System.
About Vein Disease
Nearly 70% of all women and 30% of all men will develop some sort of vein disease or venous disorder in their lifetime. Generally, both varicose veins and spider veins are an aesthetic issue and not a danger to your health. However, in some patients, as vein disease progresses, they can create complications.
Vein complications can occur when the normal circulation of blood flow is hindered by the malfunction of one way valves in the veins. These valves, when functioning properly, keep the blood flow directed towards the heart. In healthy veins, when the leg muscles contract, the valves open to move the blood forward to the heart, when they relax the values close to prevent the blood from moving backwards. However, if these valves aren’t working properly the blood flow can flow backward creating pressure in the veins.
There are three types of veins in the leg: Superficial, Communicating and Deep Veins. The superficial veins lie just under the skin. These veins carry about 15% of the blood in your legs. Communicating veins connect to the deeper veins. The deep veins carry most of the blood flow in your legs and lie within the muscle of the leg.
Venous disease cause spider veins, varicose veins, leg swelling, leg pain, skin changes in the leg, leg ulcers, phlebitis (inflammation of the veins) or DVT (deep vein thrombosis) . These can occur for a number of reasons: family history, obesity, hormonal changes such as pregnancy, prolonged standing, and trauma.
Whether you face a condition like spider or varicose veins or something more complicated, the physicians and their multi-faceted team at the Center for Advanced Vein Care are accustomed to looking for, recognizing and diagnosing these issues so that steps can be taken to keep them from adversely affecting your health.
Treatments
As you might imagine, professionals who specialize in cardiovascular health — such as ours — are uniquely qualified to perform these procedures. Should your veins be associated with a more serious disorder, we will develop a specific treatment plan to ensure your health and well-being.
If you are diagnosed with varicose veins, there are several procedures available to treat them. Technological breakthroughs have continued to make these treatments less invasive, less painful and much easier to recover from than even a decade ago.
Listed below are a number of corrective treatments that can be performed in the office or cath lab which may vary depending on the type of venous disease being treated.
Sclerotherapy
In office procedure used for the treatment or elimination of small to moderate varicose veins using ultrasound guided foam therapy or radiofrequency ablation.
Radio Frequency Vein Ablation (RFVA/Closurefast(TM))
A minimally invasive treatment option, performed in the office, for chronic venous insufficiency using radio frequency heat to close the affected vein. During RFVA, controlled and consistent heat is sent through the vein via a thin and flexible catheter or tube. RFVA precisely and effectively treats patients with lower rates of pain, bruising and complications. It also offers faster improvement in a patient's quality of life. The average patient typically resumes normal activities within a few days and most patients report a noticeable improvement in their symptoms within 1-2 weeks following treatment.
VenaSeal(TM) Varicose Vein Treatment
VenaSeal uses a medical glue to close affected veins. This special glue holds the walls of the vein together, stopping and then redirecting the blood flow to healthy veins. With time, your body will absorb the inactive veins, and they will disappear. Since varicose veins don’t always appear on the skin’s surface, your physician will use ultrasound to both map the veins needing treatment and to guide the procedure itself and use a catheter to apply the medical glue.
Varithena(R) Vein Ablation
Varithena is minimally invasive and doesn’t involve surgical vein stripping, removing the associated risks. You avoid general anesthesia, sedation and incisions. Varithena does not require multiple injections to numb the treatment site, unlike most thermal procedures, and doesn’t leave permanent foreign bodies behind after treatment.
Stab phlebectomy
Stab phlebectomy is a minimally invasive procedure performed in the office where the affected veins are removed through several tiny cuts/incisions in the leg. Stitches usually are not required.
Iliac Vein Stenting
For patients with unexplained lower extremity edema (swelling), history of DVT or pelvic congestion syndrome. Iliac vein stenting is a minimally invasive procedure using ultrasound guided intravascular study to diagnose and treat venous compression, which may be caused by anatomic abnormalities such as May-Thurner or chronic deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Performed in the cardiac cath lab, as an outpatient procedure, Iliac vein stenting provides relief by resuming blood flow to the compressed area.
Vein Center Specialist
Thomas C. Riddell, MD, FACC, FSCAI
Interventional Cardiology
Peripheral Vascular Intervention
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