New Treatment for Varicose Veins Being Offered at Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists

If you’re noticing enlarged and darkened veins around your legs and ankles, you might have developed varicose veins. While most often thought of as a cosmetic issue, varicose veins can also lead to aching pain and discomfort, can even signal an underlying circulatory problem, and could lead to additional health concerns. While there is no cure for this very common condition, treatment can help the patient to avoid possible life-long pain. The Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas can help to determine the best treatment option to address the symptoms as well as diagnose and treat any additional health issues. 

What are Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins are bulging, swollen blood vessels. They are most commonly seen in the legs and feet because of the pressure from walking and standing. Any vein that is close to the skin’s surface, also known as superficial, can become varicosed. 

Varicose veins appear as blue or purple veins, and can become painful or itchy. Spider veins, which are a common and more mild form of varicose veins, are smaller red or purple lines that could surround varicose veins. 

While most varicose veins aren’t dangerous, some could lead to serious health issues, such as blood clots. Varicose veins are very common, and are most often seen in women. 

Who’s at Risk for Developing Varicose Veins?

Anyone is at risk for developing varicose veins. However, there are certain risk factors that increase your chance of developing them, which include: 

• Age: vein walls and valves lose effectiveness over time
• Gender: female hormones can affect vein walls, causing them to stretch
• Genetics: varicose veins is an inherited condition
• Lifestyle: a sedentary lifestyle promotes poor circulation
• Health: certain health conditions, such as tumors, can increase pressure within veins
• Smoking: people who smoke or use tobacco products are at greater risk for developing varicose veins
• Overweight: being overweight or obese puts added pressure and stress on the veins

Varicose veins are a result of the walls of the veins weakening. When this happens, blood pressure in the veins increases. Due to the weak vein walls, the heightened blood pressure leads to larger veins. When the veins stretch, the valves that keep the blood moving in one direction don’t work properly. This causes blood to back up in the vein, which causes the vein to swell, twist and bulge. 

What are the Symptoms of Varicose Veins?

The most common symptom is visible blue or purple veins in the legs, ankles and feet. However, the symptoms are not just cosmetic, and could also include: 

• Heavy legs
• Itching
• Pain
• Swelling
• Skin discoloration
• Visible bulging and twisted veins

While many people find relief from symptoms by using at-home methods, such as compression stockings, there is a more permanent solution with laser therapy. 

What is the VenaSeal™ ClosureFast™ Procedure?

The VenaSeal™ ClosureFast™ procedure is a minimally-invasive treatment that uses radiofrequency energy to effectively treat patients with varicose veins or chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Because the valves in the veins of the legs cannot be repaired, the only alternative is to re-route the blood flow from the affected veins to healthy veins.

The VenaSeal™ closure system is a newer treatment method that doesn’t use heat to close veins. Instead, the process uses an advanced medical adhesive that closes the affected vein. Because the procedure is performed without tumescent anesthesia, there is little need for multiple needle sticks and patients can enjoy minimal or no post-procedure bruising. Tumescent local anesthesia is a form of local anesthesia, which is a technique in which a dilute local anesthetic solution is injected into the subcutaneous tissue until it becomes firm and tense. 

Because VenaSeal™ is non-thermal, non-tumescent and non-sclerosant (without injecting a substance into veins), there is a greatly reduced chance of nerve injury. VenaSeal™ is the only treatment option of this type that has proven successful for treating varicose veins and spider veins. 

The procedure involves a pain management specialist inserting a catheter into the diseased vein via a tiny incision below the knee. Using ultrasound guidance, the provider will treat the vein in small segments with heat for 20 seconds each. The heat causes the vein walls to collapse and close. After the vein is sealed, blood naturally redirects to health veins. This helps to reduce or eliminate the appearance of varicose veins that are enlarged and dark. The treated vein then becomes tissue that will gradually be absorbed into the surrounding tissue. 

The entire procedure takes about 30 minutes, depending how many veins are treated. The provider will use local anesthesia to increase the patient’s comfort during the procedure. A small bandage is placed over the insertion site, and your provider might recommend additional compression to aid in healing. Post-operative instructions include normal walking, but to avoid standing for extended periods of time and strenuous activities. 

What are the Benefits of VenaSeal™?

VenaSeal™ is the first treatment of its kind There are many benefits the VenaSeal™ treatment option, which include: 

• Out-patient procedure, meaning the patient can return home the same day
• Very little downtime 
• Minimally-invasive
• Very little, if any, scarring
• Long-lasting relief from symptoms

Most patients are able to return to their normal activity level within a day or two after surgery. Studies have shown that at one year and two years after the procedure more than 90% of veins treated remained reflux free. 

Not only can varicose veins look unsightly, they can also result in painful and itchy symptoms. Thankfully there is no longer the need to undergo invasive surgical options to remedy the condition – or to have to live with it, for that matter. The VenaSeal™ treatment is both highly recommended and safe for reducing varicose veins and their associated symptoms. 

If you would like more information about the VenaSeal™ treatment or would like to know if you’re a candidate, please schedule an appointment today with the Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas. We are highly skilled in this revolutionary treatment and have been able to successfully help our patients comfortably treat their varicose veins. 

ClosureFast™ Procedure
The ClosureFast™ procedure is a minimally invasive treatment that uses radiofrequency (RF) energy to effectively treat patients with varicose veins or chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Because the valves in the legs cannot be repaired, the only alternative is to re-route the blood flow from the diseased veins to the healthy veins.

To do this, a vein specialist inserts a catheter into the diseased vein through a tiny incision below the knee. Guided by ultrasound imaging, a vein specialist will treat the vein in 7 cm segments for 20 seconds each. The catheter delivers consistent and uniform heat to contract the collagen in the vein walls, causing them to collapse and close. After the vein is sealed shut, blood is then naturally redirected to healthy veins. The treated vein then becomes fibrous tissue and will gradually be absorbed into surrounding tissue.

How Effective is the ClosureFast™ Procedure?
The ClosureFast™ procedure has been shown in a large multicenter study to be 94.9% reflux-free at 5 years.6 Treating with the ClosureFast™ catheter resulted in high closure rates with improvements in CEAP Class grading and VCSS out to 5 years post treatment. The ClosureFastTM procedure has been shown in a large multicenter study to be 94.9% reflux-free at 5 years. The RECOVERY Study showed that patients experience less bruising and pain, and fewer complications with the ClosureFast™ procedure, using the Medtronic ClosureFast™ endovenous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) catheter in comparison to 980 nm laser ablation. The ClosureFast™ procedure is performed as a medical necessity as diagnosed by a trained vein specialist. It is not designed to address spider veins or cosmetic issues. As with any medical procedure, you should consult a vein specialist and review all safety information associated with the procedure.

The closure fast procedure takes approximately 45-60 minutes and can be performed under local or general anesthesia, but is generally performed under local anesthesia in a physician’s office.

VenaSeal™ Closure System
The VenaSeal™ closure system is the only non-thermal, non-tumescent, non-sclerosant procedure approved for use in the U.S. that uses an advanced medical adhesive that closes the diseased vein. This unique approach eliminates the risk of thermal nerve injury that is sometimes associated with certain thermal-based procedures. The procedure is administered without the use of tumescent anesthesia, minimizing the need for multiple needle sticks. Patients also report minimal-to-no bruising post procedure.

The VenaSeal™ closure system is the only non-thermal, non-tumescent, non-sclerosant procedure approved for use in the U.S. that uses a specially formulated medical adhesive that closes the diseased vein. This unique approach eliminates the risk of thermal nerve injury that is sometimes associated with certain thermal-based procedures. The procedure is administered without the use of tumescent anesthesia, minimizing the need for multiple needle sticks. Patients also report minimal-to-no bruising post procedure.