Vein stripping treats varicose veins, enlarged superficial veins just under the skin in the legs. At Advanced Vascular Associates of Morristown, Sparta, Pompton Plains, and Teaneck, NJ, doctors use local general or local anesthesia when using a procedure called Endovenous Laser Ablation to help patients.
More About Varicose Veins
Varicose veins cause fatigue or pain but can be removed with minimal incisions. There are several risk factors to consider like obesity, lack of exercise, leg trauma, family history, and pregnancy.
What is Endovenous Laser Ablation?
Endovenous laser ablation is a less invasive vein stripping procedure that improves hemodynamic abnormality, unstable blood pressure that may cause inadequate blood flow to organs.
Endovenous Laser Ablation Procedure at Morristown, Sparta, Pompton Plains, and Teaneck
Endovenous laser varicose uses heat from a laser, a device that sends a thin beam of radiation, to reduce varicose veins. The laser surgery shrinks the varicose vein, seals off the vein, and prevents blood flow to nearby veins.
- At your doctor's office, you'll lie down on an exam table and be given special eyeglasses to protect your eyes from the laser light.
- Your doctor will administer an anesthetic to numb the area using a catheter.
- A Doppler ultrasound device is used to check the vein using sound waves to reproduce an image of the vein on a computer screen.
- Then, the doctor makes an incision, inserts the catheter, and guides it into the varicose vein.
- Finally, your doctor uses a laser's heat to shrink the vein.
The procedure takes less than an hour and the incision made doesn't require stitches, just a bandage.
Post-procedural Care
Here are some things you need to do to take care of yourself:
- Walk for about 30 to 60 minutes right after the procedure.
- Someone will need to drive you to and from the surgery.
- Put an ice pack to reduce swelling and bruising.
- Monitor the incision sites and keep them away from water for 48 hours.
- Keep your legs raised and avoid standing for too long.
- Take over-the-counter pain medicine and contact your doctor if there's bleeding.
Do you need to speak with a specialist?
If you want to learn more about Endovenous Laser Ablation, contact Advanced Vascular Associates of Morristown, Sparta, Pompton Plains, and Teaneck, NJ, at 973-540-9700.