Venous Ablation Treatment
Patients who have large varicose veins generally have what is known as "reflux disease". That means that the valves in the great saphenous vein or the small saphenous vein are damaged, and consequently blood is allowed to flow in the wrong direction in these veins. Until 2001 the only effective treatment for this condition was a varicose vein stripping. This was a somewhat painful and disfiguring operation that required general anesthesia and several weeks recuperation before it was possible to return to normal activities.
In 2001 the technique of "venous thermal ablation" was developed which has proven to be a marked improvement over vein stripping in every conceivable area. It was less painful, quicker, left virtually no scars, allowed an almost immediate return to normal activity, could be done with local anesthesia, and was less expensive. It can be used in almost all patients who have either great saphenous vein or small saphenous vein reflux. It was also found that the long term (> 5 years) effectiveness of the treatment is just as good as for varicose vein stripping.
VNUS Closure
There are several different techiques that can be used for venous ablation treatment. The first technique is a variation of a procedure that was first used in the 1930's for the treatment of hemorrhoids, and is known as "radiofrequency closure" or "VNUS closure". With this technique a set of wires are inserted into the offending vein, and an electrical current is used to slowly "cook" the vein. The term "radiofrequency" is used because the frequency of the current that is used is just below the frequency of an AM radio station. Typically, the treatment takes about 30 minutes per vein, and the set of wires are slowly withdrawn during this time to ensure treatment of the entire course of the vein.
EndoVenous Laser Treatment (pictured)
The second techique make use of a more recent technical developement — that of the laser. This procedure, which is known as "EndoVenous Laser Treatment" (EVLT) or "EndoVenous Laser Ablation Treatment" (EVLAT), involves passing a laser optic fiber into the vein and "cooking" the vein with laser energy.. While this technique also damages the vein, it does somuch more quickly — typically treatment of the entire vein only takes about a minute.
Steam Technique
The third technique is still considered investigational, and involves a very old technology — steam. With this approach a catheter is placed in the vein, and the vein is "cooked" by injecting hot steam into the catheter.
FDA ELVT Study
Willamette Vein Centre' was one of ten research sites selected by the FDA for the clinical investigation of endovenous laser treatment in 2001. Since then over 900 offices, clinics, and hospitals have joined us in using endovenous laser treatment for venous reflux disease.