Vnus Closure Procedure
Do you experience discomfort, leg pain or swelling? Are you embarrassed to wear a bathing suit or show your legs in public because of unsightly veins on your legs? You may be suffering from venous reflux disease (Varicose Veins). You’re not alone: About 40 percent of all women and 25 percent of men suffer from Venus reflux disease.
Heredity is a factor in venous reflux disease – if your parents or siblings have had varicose veins, you’re more likely to develop them – and people who are obese or have had multiple pregnancies are particularly susceptible, because the extra weight adds strain to the veins.
Your lifestyle, particularly physical activity, can affect your odds of developing varicose veins as well. People whose careers require them to stand in place for long periods of time – nurses, teachers, waitresses, flight attendants and other service personnel, for example – have a higher-than-average risk of venous disease.
Unsightly and uncomfortable, varicose veins can promote swelling in the ankles and feet and itching of the skin. They may occur in almost any part of the leg but are most often seen in the back of the calf or on the inside of the leg between the groin and the ankle. Left untreated, patient symptoms are likely to worsen with some possibly leading to complications.
Until now, solving the problem of varicose veins meant surgically removing, or stripping, the vein-a painful procedure with a lengthy recovery. Today, patients at Baldwin Area Medical Center are finding relief easier than ever with the VNUS Closure procedure -a simple, minimally invasive alternative to painful vein stripping that gets you back to normal activity within a day, and without scars.
Using ultrasound, Dr. Clint Semrau, general surgeon at Baldwin Area Medical Center, will position the VNUS Closure catheter into the diseased vein, through a small opening in the skin. The tiny catheter delivers radiofrequency (RF) energy to the vein wall. As the RF energy is delivered and the catheter is withdrawn, the vein wall is heated, causing the collagen in the wall to shrink and the vein to close. Once the diseased vein is closed, blood is re-routed to other healthy veins.
“There is no incision, no significant scarring, and most patients report an improvement in symptoms within one to two weeks,” said Dr. Clint Semrau. “Most closure patients can walk away from the vein procedure and are back to everyday activities – either at home or at work – typically within a day.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Clint Semrau, please call 715-684-5190. For more information on the Vnus Closure procedure click here.