Definition of Varicose vein stripping:

Vein stripping is surgery to remove varicose veins in the legs.

Description:

Varicose veins are swollen, painful veins that have filled with blood. They usually develop in the legs.

• Normally, valves in your veins keep your blood flowing forward, so the blood does not collect in one place.
• The valves in varicose veins are either damaged or missing. This causes the veins to become filled with blood, especially when you are standing.

Vein stripping is usually done when a large vein in the leg called the superficial saphenous vein is thick and rope-like.

Vein stripping usually takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Most people receive either:

• General anesthesia and will be asleep and unable to feel pain.
• Spinal anesthesia, which will make the lower half of your body feel numb. You may also get medicine to help you relax.

Your surgeon will make two small surgical cuts in your leg.

• The cuts will be near the top and bottom of your damaged vein. One will be in your groin. The other will be farther down your leg, either in your calf or ankle.
• Your surgeon will then thread a thin, flexible plastic wire into the vein through your groin and guide the wire through the vein toward the other cut farther down your leg.
• The wire is then tied to the vein and pulled out through the lower cut, which pulls the vein out with it.

If you have other damaged veins, your surgeon may also make small cuts over them to remove them or tie them off.

The doctor will close the cuts with stitches (sutures). You will have bandages and compression stockings on your leg after the procedure.

Why the Procedure Is Performed:

Vein stripping may be recommended for:

• Varicose veins that cause problems with blood flow (venous insufficiency)
• Leg pain that feels heavy or tired
• Ulcers or sores that are caused by too much pressure in the veins (venous ulcers)
• Blood clots or swelling (inflammation) in the veins (phlebitis)
• Improving the appearance of the leg
• Fatty tissue under the skin that hardens over time from high blood pressure in a vein (lipodermatosclerosis)

Today, doctors are doing fewer vein stripping surgeries because there are newer, non-surgical ways to treat varicose veins. These other treatments are less painful and have a much faster recovery time.

See also: Varicose Vein - noninvasive treatment