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Those Beautiful Legs:
 Venous insufficiency of the legs is a disorder hallmarked by venous valvular problems which allow venous blood to flow backwards down the leg forcing blood to abnormally pool. Pooling causes veins which bulge, discolor and grow weak. The result is a combination of leg vein disorders ranging from the serious – deep leg thrombosis where a dangerous blood clot forms in the lower (distal) deep leg veins threatening to dislodge and move to the heart or lungs - to the painful, varicose veins that are large bulgy veins that form as a result of poor blood flow - to the cosmetically unappealing, spider veins that are thread-like colored veins most often seen on the surface of the skin. “Our patients primarily come in complaining of leg pain, swelling, visible discolored veins, a sense of leg heaviness and fatigue,” noted Dr. Saundra Spruiell, Oklahoma Vein Specialists Medical Director. “New treatments are giving us unprecedented success in treating these disorders when medically necessary and when cosmetically desired at a level of effectiveness previously unattainable.” Radio Frequency Ablation, also called the Closure® Procedure, is a breakthrough procedure for Superficial Venous Reflux, a condition that develops when valves in the veins transporting blood out of the legs to the heart become damaged or diseased causing blood to pool in the legs. The blood flows toward the feet instead of flowing back to the heart in a disorder called reflux. “Radio Frequency Ablation is a minimally invasive treatment using a thin catheter inserted in the vein to deliver a radio frequency energy burst to the vein wall causing it to heat, collapse and then seal shut,” said Dr. Jim Melton, Peripheral Vascular Surgery and General Surgery. “The procedure closes the diseased vein forcing other healthy veins to transport the blood from the patient’s legs without pain.” The Closure®‚ procedure is one of the major procedures performed at the Oklahoma Vein Specialists located at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. Oklahoma Vein Specialists (OVS) is the state’s premier center for diagnosing and treating diseases of the leg veins. OVS combines the surgical skills of Oklahoma’s largest group of cardiovascular specialists, Oklahoma Cardiovascular Associates, with the innovation of the latest techniques in restoring the function and cosmetic appearance of legs disfigured by damaged veins. “Many of the treatments we offer our patients are performed quickly without an operating room or anesthetic and patients go home the same day and are almost immediately back into their routine with noticeable improvement in their symptoms,” continued Dr. Melton. “Treatments can range from the low-tech elastic compression hose, to exercise regiments, to injections to high tech non-invasive procedures and surgeries.” Venous Disease Treatment VNUS Closure® – radio frequency ablation - minimally invasive surgical procedure that uses radio frequency energy to close abnormally growing veins such as varicose veins in the legs. No general anesthesia is needed and most patients walk out of the clinic within hours and return to normal activities the next day. In many cases, VNUS Closure‚is replacing vein-stripping surgery. Sclerotherapy – a chemical injection into the abnormal vein causing the vein lining to deteriorate and close. The in-office procedure forces other healthy veins to take over the blood delivery work of the damaged vein. Sclerotherapy is most effective on smaller vein surfaces like spider veins. Ambulatory Phlebectomy – multiple small incisions are made along a varicose vein so that the diseased vein can be gently removed in small segments. The procedure is done under local anesthesia in a procedure room on a day-surgery basis. SEPS – Subfascial Endoscopic Perforator Surgery – highly specialized endoscopic treatment for abnormal ankle communicating veins. This condition, found in the lower extremities, causes chronic skin ulcers to form due to the lack of sufficient blood supply. SEPS, a minimally invasive procedure provides the patient the benefit of being less traumatic and painful, a faster recovery, and can be introduced remotely from the actual area being treated. Oklahoma Vein Specialists is one of only a handful of institutions in the country that has raised the standard in venous treatments by training our Registered Vascular Technicians to image the superficial venous system to give physicians a far superior view of the patients needs. Imaging allows OVS to better diagnose the impact of disease on the veins of the legs and therefore employ the most appropriate cutting edge treatment technology, without this diagnostic imaging capability we would be forced to practice outdated venous treatments. For more information or to make appointments please contact the Oklahoma Vein Specialists at (405) 278-VEIN (8346) www.oklahomaveinspecialists.com |
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