New treatment for varicose veins
CARY, NC (WTVD) -- It's summer and that means taking out the shorts, skirts, and swimsuits. But thousands of women - and many men - are coping with unsightly and often painful varicose veins
But now there's a new procedure available that one doctor describes as a sort of a "superglue" for problem veins.
It's called VenaSeal - and for people with varicose veins or venous reflux disease - it's a minimally invasive way to close a diseased vein. There's no compression stockings to wear, bruising or downtime - putting patients back on their feet - quickly.
At Triangle Vascular Associates in Cary VenaSeal doesn't require the heat of laser or radio frequency ablation, surgery, or compression hoses after the procedure.
"So you're able to get back to your activities almost immediately after the procedure," said Dr. Steve Loehr.
Loehr is the only Triangle doctor currently using VenaSeal. After a cleaning process, the patient is numbed and a catheter is inserted into the problem vein through a small nick. Then, using ultrasound for guidance, a medical adhesive is delivered into the vein and then the vein is compressed. The procedure takes 30-45 minutes.
"And that's it. They can get off the table immediately and again no compression hoses is required," said Loehr.
VenaSeal is not completely risk free and it's not cheap either. There's a chance for allergic reaction, deep vein thrombosis and edema.
The procedure starts at $2,500 and is not yet covered by insurance.
