From Deseret News archives:
Tired, achy legs: Surgeon uses radiofrequency to treat painful vein condition
She was suffering from superficial venous reflux disease. Three weeks ago, Utah surgeon Dr. Peter Jensen used radiofrequency one of several treatment options to quell it in an hourlong outpatient procedure.
Veins have a tough job. They're supposed to get oxygen-depleted blood uphill against gravity without a pump to where it can be oxygenated and start its journey again a process helped immeasurably by valves that keep the blood from flowing backward. The shallow vein system isn't designed to handle the load. Unlike the deep-vein system, it doesn't have the support of muscles and other tissue. It also has fewer valves. And when the valves don't work well, backflow can occur, the results ranging from unsightly varicose veins to severely painful legs and even ulcerations.
When venous reflux is suspected, a "careful" ultrasound scan is needed to see what's going on, Jensen said. Ultrasound reveals the vein function, patency and anatomy.
Treatment options for venous reflux cover a range, starting with comfort measures like compression hose and elevating your feet. For a surgical fix, the mainstay has long been vein stripping, where a knot is tied in one end of the greater saphenous vein, then the whole vein is withdrawn through a hole near the ankle and removed. A few years ago, catheter-based therapies including laser and radio frequency were introduced. Jensen of Utah Vein Specialists offers radiofrequency to collapse the offending vein without removing it. He uses laser, as well sometimes, but likes radio-frequency as gentler, using less heat.
Jensen, by training a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, calls the greater saphenous vein the "mighty Mississippi of shallow blood return." But not all of Arbuckle's blood was making the trip, so he treated her with a procedure called VNUS Closure, doing each leg a week apart.
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