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Varicose vein - noninvasive treatment - Risks

Alternative Names

Sclerotherapy; Laser therapy - varicose veins; Radiofrequency vein ablation; Endovenous thermal ablation; Transilluminated power phlebotomy; Endovenous laser ablation; Varicose vein therapy

Risks:

These treatments are generally safe. Ask your doctor about specific problems that might occur.

The risks for any anesthesia are:

The risks for any procedure are:

The risks of endovenous laser ablation are:

  • Blood clots
  • Damage to the nerve
  • Failure to close the vein
  • Opening of the treated vein
  • Paresthesias (prickly, tingly skin)
  • Pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in your lungs)
  • Skin burns from the heated catheter
  • Thrombophlebitis (inflammation in a vein with a blood clot that attaches to the vein)

The risks of sclerotherapy are:

  • Blocked blood flow in the treated vein
  • The solution leaks out of the vein into other tissue (this can damage surrounding tissue and cause ulcers to form)
  • Vein irritation

The risks of any treatment for varicose veins are:

  • Bruising or scarring
  • Nerve injury
  • Return of the varicose vein over time
  • Reviewed last on: 1/25/2011
  • Shabir Bhimji, MD, PhD, Specializing in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Midland, TX. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Freischlag JA, Heller JA. Venous disease. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 68.

Nijsten T, van den Bos RR, Goldman MP, et al. Minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of saphenous varicose veins. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Jan 2009;60(1).

Van den Bos R, Arends L, Kockaert M, Neumann M, Nijsten T. Endovenous therapies of lower extremity varicosities: a meta-analysis. J Vasc Surg. 2009;49:230-239.

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