Working veins are an indispensable part of your vascular system. If they become dysfunctional or diseased, you need treatment from a skilled vein surgeon. Let’s talk about what procedures a vein surgeon can perform to get you healthy again and where you can go for outstanding vein treatment in St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor, and Largo, FL.
What Do Veins Do
Veins are the blood vessels that return oxygen-poor blood to the heart and lungs for re-oxygenation and circulation throughout the body. Due to disease, age, lifestyle factors (such as smoking and obesity), and simple wear and tear, veins can become misshapen and incapable of doing their jobs.
Small check valves within unhealthy veins can’t close properly, and blood builds up in the lower extremities and other areas, such as the rectum. The most common dysfunctional veins are blue, rope-like varicose veins and tiny, thread-like spider veins.
How Can a Vein Surgeon Help?
A vein surgeon can evaluate problems associated with chronic vein insufficiency, injury, blockages from clots, and malformations in the structure of blood vessels within the legs, ankles, and feet. Your medical history, symptoms, and medications provide valuable diagnostic clues and help the vein specialist design a treatment plan. Also, the doctor often uses state-of-the-art assessment tools, such as duplex ultrasound, to visualize the veins and understand how blood flows through them.
What Procedures Does a Vein Surgeon Perform
For many vein clinic patients, conservative treatment measures manage symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency. Examples include nutritional supplementation, compression stockings, exercise, losing weight, and smoking cessation.
However, more serious vein problems can require in-office interventions or even surgery. Here are examples of these effective treatments.
Sclerotherapy
This treatment involves injecting an irritating chemical agent into spider veins and smaller varicose veins. The irritant closes portions of the vein, allowing blood to flow through neighboring healthier blood vessels. Sclerotherapy is an in-office procedure that the vein surgeon tailors to the patient’s therapeutic needs.
Endovenous Laser Treatments
Also appropriate for smaller varicosities, in-office EVLT inserts a catheter equipped with a laser fiber. As the laser is withdrawn through the catheter, it heats the varicose vein and closes it. Usually, few to no sutures are needed to close the treatment site. EVLT works well on larger areas of venous insufficiency in the legs.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Using radio wave energy, RFA heats the interior of small varicose veins and thereby shuts them and redirects blood to nearby veins. RFA produces great cosmetic and blood flow results quickly with relatively little downtime for the patient.
VenaSeal
Injections of a medical grade adhesive, VenaSeal treatments quickly seal off vein-related problems.
Vein Stripping
Also called phlebectomy, surgical vein stripping incises the leg above the level of the problem vein. Then, the surgeon inserts a catheter and special small instruments to tie off the blood vessel and remove it.
This procedure helps people with more advanced venous insufficiency. Since it is an invasive surgery, it requires some rest and recovery before returning to normal activities. Vein stripping features a high success rate.
Vein Treatment in Tampa, F
If you are looking for compassionate vein care, you can trust the expertise and experience of the board-certified vascular surgeon, Dr. Edward Mackay of Edward G. Mackay and Associates. At an informative consultation with him, he will evaluate your lower extremities and your symptoms. He may recommend a number of interventions to help you have smoother, healthier legs and improved blood flow.
Our facility can help you achieve optimal vascular health and function. Besides non-invasive treatments, we offer laser therapy, radiofrequency ablation, vein stripping, microphlebectomy, VenaSeal, and more. Dr. Mackay has years of experience in vein care, and he is double-certified in general and vascular surgery.
To arrange your consultation, call us today at (727) 781-5652, or request a convenient appointment time by filling in our online request form.
