Surgery to remove varicose veins in the legs

Faced with problems such as varicose veins of the lower extremities, the patient should not hesitate to go to the doctor and get treatment. An experienced specialist will conduct a thorough examination and make a conclusion as to which therapeutic strategy is best: conservative treatment or surgery. If for some reason the drug cannot have the desired effect on the patient's blood vessels, then the doctor will appoint surgical intervention, which can help unconditionally.

Indications and whether surgery is needed

Surgery to remove the varicocele is a radical treatment for pathological vessels, so the indications will be appropriate.

Operation will be reasonable in the following cases:

• varicose veins of the entire lower extremities, visible to the naked eye;
• persistent severe leg edema, discomfort, pain and a feeling of heaviness in the legs or elsewhere, depending on the localization of the pathological process;
• a direct threat that existing varicose veins in some part of the body will be complicated by a more serious disease (eg, thrombophlebitis, trophic ulcer, or pulmonary embolism)).

In a one-on-one conversation with the doctor, he will be able to determine if it is worth doing the surgery and also talk about what types of surgical interventions exist in general.

Contraindications for varicose vein surgery

Despite these strong indications, there are still many cases where it is not possible to perform a varicocele in the leg. For example, if a patient has end-stage varicose veins, surgical treatment will not always be possible. In such cases, doctors focus on medication, but they cannot help enough.

Some other mandatory contraindications:

• the presence of skin diseases at the site of the affected vein, for example, eczema, pyoderma, dermatitis, etc. v.
• severe diseases of the cardiovascular system - hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure;
• acute inflammatory process inside the vessel (phlebitis);
• previous thromboembolism or pulmonary embolism;
• the process of actively eradicating atherosclerosis;
• advanced age;
• Pregnancy period.

Patients should remember that in case of taking medicine to treat other diseases, they must inform the treating doctor.

Sclerotherapy Techniques

Sclerotherapy is a procedure where a special substance is injected into the affected blood vessel, causing it to constrict and overgrow. The main advantage of this approach is that the procedure does not require any incisions or surgical approach.

The essence of this procedure is as follows: with the help of a syringe, the doctor injects a sclerosing agent into the pathological vessel. During one phase of sclerotherapy, the therapist makes two to ten such injections. The effect does not appear at once - it usually takes 2-8 weeks and several sessions of such a procedure. Under the action of scleroderma, the veins gradually narrow, then overgrow and disappear.

There are two types of operations:

1. Micro-atherosclerosis. It is demonstrated in the early stages of varicose veins, when smaller superficial vessels are involved in the process. In such cases, the amount of detergent required is minimal.
2. Echosclerosing. It is performed on deeper veins using double-sided scanning to most accurately determine the location of the deep varicose veins.

Laser coagulation

Laser varicose vein surgery is by far the most popular. This is because the procedure is performed under local anesthesia, does not require large incisions and tissue trauma, and is effective immediately.

The vascular surgeon should give details of how the surgery is performed, but in general its essence lies in the introduction of a special laser light path into the diseased blood vessel. A laser beam, having its own wavelength, passes through this device and acts on the walls of the varicose veins. Under its impact, the train freezes and clogs.

This technique will be suitable if the patient has varicose veins of the legs or groin area. Furthermore, laser coagulation will work more effectively on large vessels, which is why it is unjustified to use this technique in the case of damage to small veins.

Ligation of the veins

Vasectomy is a more radical surgery for varicose veins in the legs, requiring a large incision and direct access to surgery.

The activity is done on the legs more often than on the vessels in the pelvis. The technique of varicose vein ligation will be effective. Vascular access is indicated at the point where the hemispheric vein joins the femoral vein. Next, the surgeon proceeds to bandage it with special threads.

In women, pelvic vein surgery may be performed. In this case, the ovarian vein is approached and constricted.

Eliminates dilated vessels

The most common and proven surgical method is varicose veinectomy. Doctors do it almost every day and are more affordable than laser coagulation or sclerotherapy. Such a varicose vein surgery is performed under general or epidural anesthesia.

To remove the dilated vessel, the surgeon needs an incision only 0. 5-1 cm long.

As a subspecies of this intervention, minor ablation is distinguished. It differs from conventional phlebotomy in that the surgeon needs punctures rather than incisions to access the blood vessel. This maneuver is effective for impacting microvessels. Its main plus is that it does not leave any traces and cosmetic defects.

Stripping

Resection is one of the subtypes of phlebotomy in which a special probe is used to remove the vein. As with simple varicocele, the surgeon makes an incision in the hemispheric vein and accesses the vessel. Then, the doctor will make another incision - in the middle or lower leg area.

Through the upper entrance to the great hemisphere vein, a special probe is inserted - a refractive index probe. Surgeon bandages anterior to the mouth of adjacent veinsThe probe is inserted along the entire length of the blood vessel to the incision below, where it is then used to remove the vein.

In stripping, several types of operations are also distinguished:

1. Short stripping. Not the entire vessel is removed, but only a certain area is subject to the process of varicose veins.
2. Total. Such a surgery for varicose veins of the lower extremities allows you to remove a large area of diseased vessels and avoid further recurrence.

Consequences of surgery and rehabilitation

With varicose veins, surgery can have the opposite effect and cause various complications. They should be separated by the type of intervention performed:

1. After therapeutic therapy, patients may experience itching, burning, skin discoloration, and appearance of edema at the injection site. An increase in body temperature and the appearance of general weakness are possible. According to the rules of the postoperative period, the symptoms should disappear in a few days.
2. After undergoing laser coagulation, the patient may experience tightness in the thigh area, slight bleeding, and an increase in body temperature. With proper treatment, symptoms should disappear within a week.
3. Venous ligation can be complicated by trauma and bleeding during surgery.
4. Circumcision and removal of the foreskin can damage the nerves in the skin. This may be accompanied by loss of sensitivity, leg numbness, and pain at the incision sites.

As with all surgical treatments, there is a common complication - thrombosis. This is a dangerous process, but the chances of it happening as a result of any activity are very low.

To avoid the aforementioned complications and shorten the rehabilitation period as much as possible, you must adhere to the recommendations for health and vascular care in the postoperative period.

According to the rules of the postoperative period, the symptoms should disappear in a few days.

There are several pros and cons that experts recommend sticking to:

• Immediately after the end of the operation and for the first week after that, it is necessary to wear special compression underwear - it can be in the form of socks, stockings, stockings, and for this purpose you can also useordinary elastic band.
• Get rid of bad habits - drinking, smoking, using drugs.
• Avoid baths and saunas, as well as very hot showers.
• At the place of surgery, you can not do any cosmetic procedures and apply various cosmetics.
• Avoid strenuous physical activity. In the case that before treatment the patient participated in any type of sport (especially strenuous), then after the operation it is recommended to forget about heavy lifting for at least 5-8 weeks. In the future, you should consult your doctor if it is possible to continue intensive sports.
• Perform preventive exercises daily lasting no more than 15-30 minutes.
• Comply with the venipuncture's instructions for dosing - regularly take prophylactic anticoagulants, serum laxatives, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, thrombolytics and others.

Overall, all of these maneuvers have good reviews from both doctors and patients. Which treatment is appropriate for a particular patient needs to be decided only with the attending physician.