Understanding How Varicose Veins Are Diagnosed And Treated
Blood travels from your heart to your lungs in order to collect oxygen. From your lungs, it travels through your arteries to capillaries throughout your body. It surrenders the oxygen for use in your body’s tissues before returning to your heart through a network of veins to repeat the cycle. Under normal circumstances, the flow is managed by valves. However, if those valves are compromised in any way, the flow can be hampered and the blood can pool. When that happens, varicose veins (VV) might form.
It is estimated that over 30 million people in the U.S. cope with this problem. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the manner in which it the condition is diagnosed. We’ll also describe the strategies used for treatment.
How Doctors Diagnose The Problem
In many cases, a doctor will diagnose varicose veins through a routine physical examination. This may be due to the patient complaining of itching or mild discomfort in their legs. It might also be due to a visible manifestation on the surface of the skin. Doctors will usually conduct a series of tests in order to determine whether the condition is truly caused by blood pooling or another catalyst.
During a physical examination, your doctor will examine your legs both while you’re standing and while you’re sitting. You may be asked to describe any itching or pain that you have felt around the affected area. A Doppler ultrasound or angiogram may be performed in order that your doctor can study the area in more detail. If he or she determines that you have VV and the condition poses a risk to your health, you might be referred to a vascular surgeon.
Common Paths Of Treatment
If VV is not treated, the blood pooling in your legs may grow worse. If the condition is mild, doctors will normally try to minimize symptoms without the need for surgery. For example, your physician may ask you to elevate your legs or flex them periodically to encourage the venous pump to push the blood to your heart.
Compression stockings may be recommended if the affliction is more severe. These stockings are wrapped around your legs in order to apply pressure to the affected area. This pressure encourages the blood to flow to your heart while preventing a backflow.
If your varicose veins cannot be relieved by compression stockings, a vascular surgeon may recommend sclerotherapy or ablation. Sclerotherapy is a process in which a chemical is injected into the affected area to scar the veins. The scarring prevents blood from flowing through and as a result, prevents pooling. Ablation is a procedure that uses small electrodes on a catheter to destroy the venous tissue in the affected area. The end result is the same as that achieved through sclerotherapy: the flow is blocked.
In some cases, venous stripping and laser surgery are used as treatment paths. The former involves the extraction of varicose veins while the latter seeks to destroy the area (similar to sclerotherapy or ablation). If you are coping with this condition, make an appointment with a vascular specialist to discuss appropriate treatment options.
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