CONDITIONS
Varicose veins are unsightly. But they can also be quite painful, causing throbbing, aching, cramping and even burning sensations. Fortunately, AVIC offers minimally invasive procedures that can treat varicose veins and provide lasting relief.
Varicose veins are the most obvious and visual symptom of vein disease. They can occur when the valves in leg veins become weak or diseased and no longer function properly, causing blood to pool. This abnormal collection will push the vein walls outward, causing the vein to enlarge and bulge.
But not everyone suffers from visible indications of vein disease. Other symptoms include sensations in the leg(s) such as aching, burning, cramping, fatigued or heavy legs, and possible skin discoloration and/or open sores.
Millions of men and women suffer from varicose veins. More than 50% of women and up to 45% of men in the United States suffer from some type of vein condition. Risk factors include medical and hereditary history, increasing age, hormonal changes, pregnancy, obesity, immobility and sun exposure.
Learn more about treatment options here, or schedule a consultation today.
While spider veins are generally cosmetic in nature, they can do a lot of damage to a person’s self-image.
They can be quite noticeable, with dark, jagged lines covering large areas of the face and legs. If spider veins are keeping you from wearing the clothes you want or participating in the activities you enjoy, then sclerotherapy may be a worthwhile treatment for you.
Spider veins are like varicose veins, but smaller and closer to the surface of the skin. Often they are red or blue in appearance and can look like tree branches or spider webs with their short, jagged lines. They can be found on the legs and face and can cover very small or very large areas of skin.
What is chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)?
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a condition that occurs when the venous wall and/or valves in the leg veins are not working effectively, making it difficult for blood to return to the heart from the legs. CVI causes blood to pool or collect in these veins, and this pooling is called stasis.
What causes chronic venous insufficiency?
Veins return blood to the heart from all the body’s organs. To reach the heart, the blood needs to flow upward from the veins in the legs. Calf muscles and the muscles in the feet need to contract with each step to squeeze the veins and push the blood upward. To keep the blood flowing up, and not back down, the veins contain one-way valves.
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when these valves become damaged, allowing the blood to leak backward. When the veins and valves are weakened to the point where it is difficult for the blood to flow up to the heart, blood pressure in the veins stays elevated for long periods of time, leading to CVI.
CVI most commonly occurs as the result of a blood clot in the deep veins of the legs, a disease known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). CVI also results from pelvic tumors and vascular malformations, and sometimes occurs for unknown reasons. Failure of the valves in leg veins to hold blood against gravity leads to sluggish movement of blood out of the veins, resulting in swollen legs.
Chronic venous insufficiency that develops as a result of DVT is also known as post-thrombotic syndrome. As many as 30 percent of people with DVT will develop this problem within 10 years after diagnosis.
If CVI is not treated, the pressure and swelling increase until the tiniest blood vessels in the legs (capillaries) burst. When this happens, the overlying skin takes on a reddish-brown color and is very sensitive to being broken if bumped or scratched.
At the least, burst capillaries can cause local tissue inflammation and internal tissue damage. At worst, this leads to ulcers, open sores on the skin surface. These venous stasis ulcers can be difficult to heal and can become infected. When the infection is not controlled, it can spread to surrounding tissue, a condition known as cellulitis.
CVI is often associated with varicose veins, which are twisted, enlarged veins close to the surface of the skin. They can occur almost anywhere, but most commonly occur in the legs.
Who is affected by chronic venous insufficiency?
An estimated 40 percent of people in the United States have CVI. It occurs more frequently in people over age 50, and more often in women than in men.
How is CVI diagnosed and treated?
Our experts at AVIC can both diagnose and treat CVI. Talk to one of our specialists to get more information
