Michael Cornwell, MD, FACS, is the Lead Physician in the Bensalem, PA, and Horsham, PA, Center for Vein Restoration (CVR) locations. In this video, he describes the patient experience when undergoing the non-surgical sclerotherapy procedure using Varithena®.
Dr. Cornwell explains that this in-office procedure, after cleaning off your skin, starts with a needle stick and injection into the diseased vein, as identified by ultrasound. “The needle stick is like getting bloodwork at a lab,” but, as Dr. Cornwell puts it “instead of drawing blood out, the medicine is injected into the vein.” On the ultrasound screen, he watches the medicine go into the vein and can see, in real-time, the medicine shrinking the enlarged vein.
The medicine, which is a liquid chemical mixed with gas that creates a foam, acts as an irritant, and damages the innerlining of the diseased vein. The veins react by contracting and getting smaller. Dr. Cornwell says that some large veins have a lot more blood in them than other veins and require more medicine to displace the blood.
He adds that he’s “not done until he sees the vein get small before his very eyes.”
Varithena works within seconds, and the entire procedure can be completed within 15 minutes at most. Dr. Cornwell shifts patients on the exam table during the procedure, tilting them up to use gravity to increase the foam medication's effectiveness to shrink the veins.
Center for Vein Restoration is the nation’s clinical leader in vein care. If you have any of the signs of venous insufficiency, such as varicose veins, call us at 240-965-3915, or visit centerforvein.com to schedule an appointment. Procedures are covered by most insurance providers, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Center for Vein Restoration (CVR) vein disease expert Michael Cornwell, MD, FACS, describes what Varithena® is and how it is used to treat varicose veins.
Truncal leg veins, including the great saphenous and small saphenous veins, are deeper, are not usually visible, and tend to feed varicose veins.
