Dr. Cornwell explains that Varithena is the brand name of the foam used during ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy is a procedure during which a medicine is injected into a diseased vein(s) to close the vein by “scarring” it. “The body then breaks the vein down, and it goes away,” says Dr. Cornwell.
While Varithena is a relatively new product, having been on the market for this use for about three years, it has gone through years of extensive research and study, according to Dr. Cornwell. The FDA approves Varithena foam treatment to treat large leg veins. Because Varithena has been so thoroughly studied, insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, approve of its use for the treatment of certain abnormal veins, adds Dr. Cornwell.
Those with leg veins that are diseased and no longer functioning properly are a good candidate for this procedure. Symptoms would include pain, swelling, itchy, burning, cramping muscles, and nighttime restless leg symptoms. Dr. Cornwell explains that swelling occurs because blood in the vein starts to back up and create pressure, forcing fluid out of the veins and into the surrounding tissue.
A patient experiencing skin conditions— from mild flaking to more severe skin darkening and thickening—may also be a candidate. In the most severe cases, wounds that are difficult to heal develop because of diseased veins below the skin.
In addition, a patient who has varicose veins confirmed by ultrasound to have “backward blood flow within the veins” (known as reflux), is an ideal candidate for the Varithena sclerotherapy procedure.
This non-surgical, minimally-invasive procedure using Varithena resolves many different types of varicose veins, reducing the associated itching, throbbing, swelling, aching, and heaviness. Find out if you are a candidate for this treatment! Call 240-965-3915 or visit centerforvein.com.
Truncal leg veins, including the great saphenous and small saphenous veins, are deeper, are not usually visible, and tend to feed varicose veins.
Michael Cornwell, MD, FACS, is the Lead Physician in the Bensalem, PA, and Horsham, PA, Center for Vein Restoration (CVR) locations.
