HOUSTON, Tex. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – For many, they’re a cosmetic concern. For others, they can lead to dangerous health issue like circulatory problems blood clots, and ulcers. Caused by faulty valves that can lead to blood pooling in the legs, varicose veins affect up to 25 percent of women and up to 10 percent of men. A newer procedure is getting rid of the veins with a lot less pain.
Varicose veins, they can be ugly, painful, or both.
"It does run in my family,” varicose vein patient, Linda Grim, told Ivanhoe.
For twelve years, Linda Grim had persistent swelling and was on her way to inheriting the unwanted heirlooms.
"At one point my right foot had at least a full shoe size different than my left foot,” Grim explained.
Methodist Hospital's Dr. Eric Peden says this minimally invasive ablation procedure is becoming the new standard for many doctors.
"For me this is my preferred treatment,” vascular surgeon, Eric Peden, MD, told Ivanhoe.
It's the VenaCure 1470. Linda's having it done right now.
"That white we see is basically treating the vein and burning the vein wall,” Dr. Peden said.
It causes varicose veins to collapse on themselves and vanish.
Dr. Peden says there are similar catheter procedures, but with vena-cure, “the tip is covered so it doesn't stick to the vein wall. It should lead to less damage to the surrounding tissues, which means less discomfort for her afterwards and less bruising.”
Linda hopes the 25 minute treatment cures her constant swelling. In the meantime, she's walking out of the doctor's office pain free and varicose vein free.
"I don't really feel any pain right now,” Grim concluded.
Dr. Peden says just about everyone with varicose veins can be treated with it. He tells us the procedure is covered by insurance if a patient is symptomatic and hasn’t responded to other conservative treatments."
Click here for Ivanhoe's full-length interview with Dr. Eric Peden
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Andrew Mcintosh at amcintosh@ivanhoe.com
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