Jun 10, 2008 6:00 pm US/Eastern
Health: Getting Rid Of Varicose Veins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
In health, Medical Reporter Stephanie Stahl has details on a quick and easy solution for getting rid of unsightly and painful varicose veins just in time for wearing shorts in our super hot weather.
Betty Ezekiel has suffered from painful varicose veins for decades.
"It got worse and worse and now it's very unsightly and uncomfortable," Betty said.
20 years ago, she had the traditional "Vein Stripping" procedure, but the veins came back.
"And they look almost as bad as they did then," Betty explained.
This time, Betty decided to have a new and less invasive procedure called "Closure Fast".
It takes just a few minutes and there's little down time.
Doctors make a tiny incision just below the knee and thread a catheter into the saphenous vein.
At the tip of the catheter is a coil of wire that emits radio waves to create heat.
When heated, the vein closes up, stopping blood flow to the varicose veins.
"With this new procedure, on average most of my patients only need a day or two to recover, they can walk immediately after the procedure," Dr. Palma Shaw said.
Closure Fast is intended for patients who suffer pain from their varicose veins and is generally covered by insurance.
Two weeks after the procedure, Betty says it's made a big difference. Not only do they look better, Betty says the pain is gone.
"Now they're really flat, the appearance is much better," Betty said.
Because this method treats the underlying cause of varicose veins, doctors say it's highly unlikely they'll ever come back.
RELATED LINKS:
Varicose Vein Treatment
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jessica Simpson: Then & Now
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
