For individuals with varicose or spider veins, relief is available at the Vein Clinic at the Regional Medical Center. RMC’s highly skilled, board-certified surgeons combine clinical expertise with the latest cosmetic and surgical techniques to return patients’ legs and feet to a more natural, youthful state. Vein treatments are performed on an outpatient basis at the Vein Clinic.
 What are Varicose Veins?
Veins in your legs carry blood back to the heart through one-way check valves. When the veins become diseased, the valves no longer work properly, and a backflow or “reflux” of blood leaks backward down the leg causing the veins to bulge or balloon. These dilated or bulging veins are called varicose and may occur on or under the surface of the skin.
What are Spider Veins?
Tiny red or blue bursts on your legs are called spider veins. Often seen on the thighs, around the knees, on the calves and at the ankles, they are a result of dilated venous capillaries that fill with blood and become visible.
How do veins become diseased?
It is estimated that heredity plays a role in 80 percent of all venous disease cases. Other causes include aging, obesity, leg trauma, hormones, pregnancy, and occupations that require prolonged standing or sitting.
What are treatment options?
Phlebectomy – a minimally invasive procedure used to remove varicose veins on the surface of the leg. Phlebectomy uses local anesthesia and tiny skin incisions that do not require stitches and are barely visible when they heal.
Radio Frequency Ablation – under local anesthesia, a thin catheter is inserted into the Great Saphenous Vein through a small opening, using a single needle stick. With the aid of ultrasound, the catheter is placed and delivers radio frequency energy to the vein wall, causing it to heat, collapse and seal shut.
Schlerotherapy – the preferred method of treatment for spider veins. In this simple procedure, veins are injected with a solution that produces an irritation to the inner lining of the vein, causing scar tissue to form that seals off the unwanted veins. The number of treatments varies depending on the extent of the condition; the average number of treatments is three.
The Vein Clinic Team
Four of RMC’s board-certified general surgeons are performing the most advanced venous disease procedures:
In addition, registered vascular sonographers provide diagnostic screenings.
For more information on the Vein Clinic, call 803-395-4555
(toll free in S.C.: 800-476-3377, ext. 4555).
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