Dr. Wolfgang Müller in Vienna, a particularly experienced expert in venous surgery and a senior medical officer in a Vienna hospital, says:
"Leg discomfort? Varicose veins? Is the varicose visible?
A thorough examination of your leg vessels with ultrasound is the basic requirement for every treatment! "
"Varicose veins and other vein diseases have an individual pattern - like a fingerprint. Varicosis and vein diseases in general should therefore be treated individually - and not always with the same method!"
Have you discovered visible little veins on your legs without any other complaints? It may be a purely cosmetic problem, but it may also be a venous disease that requires treatment. In this case, an ultrasound scan of your veins can clarify whether you need treatment. But if you have other symptoms such as heavy legs, swelling of the feet or legs in the evening, aching or stinging pain, itching, then your veins should definitely be examined.
Our experts for varicose treatment in Vienna can use a color ultrasound examination to determine how your superficial and deep veins work and whether you need treatment and which treatment is right for you. Depending on the findings, an individual treatment plan is then drawn up.
In principle, the following methods can be used to treat your venous disease:
Varicose veins do not always need treatment. There are a number of indications that the disease cannot be neglected:
If treatment is required, your doctor in Vienna may first suggest that you should solve the problem yourself without surgery. For example, doctors usually recommend that you wear compression stockings, avoid long periods of standing and so on.
Compression stockings are not a good option for everyone. Before you use them, you should undergo a test for blood circulation. They have been specially designed to ensure a stable compression of the legs and in this way improve blood circulation. They often fit tightly in the ankle and become gradually looser in the upward direction. This causes the blood to circulate better towards the heart.
In case the compression stockings do not help and further treatment is required, the doctor chooses a treatment depending on the patient’s general health condition, as well as the size of the veins, their position and the seriousness of the disease.
Endothermic ablation is usually considered to be one of the first procedures that are offered. The veins that are affected are compacted by the use of energy produced by high-frequency radio waves (radio-frequency ablation) or lasers (endovenous laser therapy in Vienna).
Radio-frequency ablation heats up vein walls with radio-frequency energy. Access to the vein is through a small incision. It is made just above or below the knee.
A narrow tube (the so-called catheter) is guided into the vein by ultrasound scanning. A probe which delivers radio frequency energy is inserted into the catheter.
Radio-frequency ablation is performed under anesthesia, either local or general. The procedure may lead to some short-term side effects such as numbness and tingling (paraesthesia).
As in the case of radio-frequency ablation, endovenous laser treatment involves placing a catheter in the vein and using ultrasound scanning that helps the surgeon move the catheter in the right direction. A tiny laser passes through the catheter, reaches the top of the varicose vein and is positioned there.
The laser transmits short bursts of energy that heat the vein and seal it. The surgeon slowly pushes the laser along the vein, while using an ultrasonic scan to adjust the direction and treat the entire length of the vein.
Endovenous laser treatment is performed under either local anesthesia or general anesthesia. After the procedure, the patient may feel some tension in the legs, and some of the areas that have been subjected to ablation may be slightly painful. Nerve injury is also potentially possible, but it is usually of a temporary nature.
Nowadays, in Vienna, the most frequently used surgical treatment techniques for varicose veins in the legs are:
If endothermic ablation treatment is not suitable for the patient, a Vienna-based doctor offers the treatment technique called sclerotherapy.
This procedure is an injection with a special foam that causes damage to the blood vessel. After this procedure, the walls of the blood vessel contract, accrete and form a solid scar tissue. This type of treatment may not be appropriate if the patient has had deep vein thrombosis.
The sclerotherapy procedure is not expensive. It is painless and does not cause any scars, nor does it require hospitalization. It is worth pointing out that sclerotherapy is carried out without anesthesia and it is safe for elderly people and people suffering from various chronic diseases. The duration of the procedure is only 15 minutes.
After this procedure, your varicose veins will start disappearing a few weeks later, as the stronger veins take on the role of the damaged vein that no longer receives any blood.
Sclerotherapy does not cause any pain. The patient just feels the prick of the needle. Immediately after the procedure, compression with an elastic bandage is required. You will need to wear the compression bandage the whole week. A week after the manipulation, the patient is examined and a decision is made whether to continue or stop the treatment.
