Before applying a varicose vein treatment, a correct diagnosis must be made to the patient. The diagnostic tests that are usually performed are:
- Vascular study through the clinical history: the clinical history can help the Angiology specialist to interpret a more correct diagnosis and thus choose an appropriate treatment.
- Clinical examination: together with the clinical history, the clinical examination helps to make a fairly accurate initial diagnosis. Subsequently, for a more specific diagnosis, a venous Doppler ultrasound is performed.
- Color Doppler ultrasound: this technique is an improved version of Doppler ultrasound. It measures and evaluates blood flow through the blood vessels and displays it using different colors for each direction of blood flow.
The latest in varicose vein treatments
Techniques such as endovenous laser or radiofrequency, known as endovenous thermal ablation techniques, improve the results of conventional surgery in the short term, with aesthetically more effective results and with an almost immediate postoperative recovery. The main new techniques are:
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Endovenous laser.
This technique acts from inside the vein, that is, it closes from the inside (thrombotic occlusion) without removing the vein or extracting it.
What happens with this technique is that the light energy of the laser, when it comes into contact with the venous tissues, is transformed into heat and destroys the proteins that make up the venous wall.
This technique does not require anesthesia and can be performed in less than two hours and without using surgery. -
Radiofrequency
Like endovenous laser, radiofrequency works through energy in the form of heat, but differs in that the temperature level is much lower and is more controlled. In the case of radiofrequency, an alteration is produced, that is, a denaturation of the proteins of the venous wall that produces a fibrotic occlusion.
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Liquid and foam sclerosis
In cases of intermediate and small varicose veins (collateral and reticular), liquid sclerosis or foam or microfoam sclerosis is definitely useful.
This technique can also be used for the treatment of large varicose veins, but its effectiveness is greater when used as an adjunct to endolaser.