Endovenous Laser Ablation

Endovenous laser ablation is a minimally invasive procedure to treat varicose veins. It’s also called endovenous laser therapy.

Varicose veins are swollen, twisted blood vessels that bulge just under your skin’s surface. These blue or purple bulges usually appear in your legs, feet and ankles.

During endovenous laser ablation, your doctor seals off varicose veins with a laser. Closing off varicose veins allows healthy veins to restore normal blood flow.

You might need endovenous laser ablation if you have medium to large varicose veins in your legs. Varicose veins often look like bulges in the legs that are bluish or skin colored.

Your blood vessels have one-way valves that move blood toward your heart. Varicose veins develop when these valves become damaged or weak. When valves aren’t working properly, blood can pool in your veins, causing a bulge or swelling that you can see and feel. Symptoms of varicose veins include:

• Achiness.
• Feeling of heaviness in your legs and feet.
• Itching.
• Leg cramps, especially at night.
• Swelling.

Some people have varicose veins removed for cosmetic reasons. After laser ablation, varicose veins shrink and blood reroutes to your healthy veins. You won’t be able to see or feel varicose veins after successful treatment.

In other cases, a provider might recommend treating varicose veins because they can cause complications like deep vein thrombosis (DVT), skin sores or bleeding.

Endovenous laser ablation is a nonsurgical, minimally invasive procedure. This treatment requires a small punction, but it’s much less invasive than varicose vein surgery.

During varicose vein surgery, your surgeon removes the affected veins through several incisions. This type of surgery requires weeks of recovery.

If you have endovenous laser ablation, your veins are left in place. It has fewer complications than surgery and your recovery is usually much shorter. Additional bonus is absence of scar.

Before scheduling your procedure, tell your doctor about all the medications, vitamins and supplements you’re taking. You may need to stop taking certain medications before your procedure. Your doctor will give you detailed instructions on any medication changes you need to make.

Your doctor will talk with you about your symptoms and any other health conditions you have.

Before your procedure, your surgeon gives you anesthesia to keep you from feeling pain. You’ll receive:

• Local anesthesia to numb the area around your vein.

During endovenous laser ablation, your provider will:

• Find your vein with an ultrasound.
• Make a small punction in your leg, usually below your knee or near your ankle.
• Insert a catheter (thin tube) into the incision and guide it into your vein.
• Insert a laser fiber into the incision and guide it into your vein.
• Place a numbing fluid around the vein for anesthesia through a series of small injections.
• With the help of puling devise draw out laser fiber applying energy. This permanently seals off the vein.
• Put a bandage or stich over your punction.

Endovenous laser ablation usually takes 30-60 min. The laser treatment itself takes three to five minutes. It’s usually an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day.

You’ll receive anesthesia for endovenous thermal ablation, so you won’t feel any pain.

After your procedure, you might experience some soreness, tingling or bruising near the vein that was treated. Usually, you can manage any pain with over-the-counter medications. Ask your provider which pain relief medications are safe for you to use.

Your provider will tell you how to take care of your punction as it heals. You’ll probably need to:

• Avoid swimming or going in hot tubs.
• Keep your  clean.
• Avoid alcohol and sauna for 7-10 days.

After one week of healing, your provider will perform an ultrasound to look at the vein and confirm that it’s sealed.

Endovenous laser ablation seals off varicose veins but doesn’t remove them. This means you’ll have a faster recovery time and a lower risk of complications.

Endovenous laser ablation has several benefits compared to varicose vein surgery, including:

• Less pain.
• Fewer complications.
• Minimal scarring.
• Positive cosmetic results (usually equal to or better than surgery).
• Shorter recovery (you can return to your normal routine in one to three days).

Endovenous laser ablation is generally safe. Side effects include:

• Bruising.
• Numbness or tingling.
• Pain.
• Blood clots in the legs (this is really rare complication).

If you experience side effects after your procedure, they should get better in a few weeks.

After the procedure, you’ll need someone to drive you home. Ask your provider about what you should do to help your body heal. You should:

• Avoid strenuous exercise until your surgeon says it’s safe to resume physical activity.
• Not fly for two weeks.
• Get adequate sleep to help your body recover.
• Move and walk around frequently during the day (at least 40 minutes).

You should be able to return to work in a day or two after your procedure. You might need to take some time off work if you have a physically demanding job that requires you to be on your feet all day. Ask your provider when you can return to work.

Go to the emergency room if you experience any signs of a blood clot, including:

• Chest pain.
• Couthing up blood.
• Fast heart rate.
• Feeling like something is pulling on your calf.
• Lightheadedness or fainting.
• Pain or tenderness that gets worse instead of better.
• Discolored skin.
• Swelling.
• Trouble breathing.