Your Treatment Options

Clarivein

VNUS Closure

EVLT (EndoVenous Laser Treatment)
Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy
Microinjection Treatment

Surgery

We'll tell you the cost of treatment in advance, or provide codes for your insurance company to authorise.

Varicose veins vary considerably between patients. Furthermore each leg can be affected differently in the same person.

That's why we'll work out your treatment options based on your individual circumstances and might even recommend a combination of treatments - for example we might recommend Clarivein to one leg and foam to the other.

Clarivein

Consultant Vascular Surgeon Stephen Kettlewell at Glasgow Vein Clinic is pleased to be the first surgeon in the West of Scotland to offer Clarivein. Clarivein is the very latest treatment for varicose veins and is virtually painless.

A fine rotating catheter is inserted into the veins with a little local anaesthetic. Once activated it gently agitates the lining of the vein. At the same time a chemical sclerosant is injected. The combination of mechanical agitation and chemical causes the vein to seal. It is a remarkably quick procedure to perform and can be done in out-patients.

The following pictures show before and after Clarivein treatment:

Clarivein before and after 4 weeks:

VNUS Closure

VNUS closure uses heat to seal the vein using radiofrequency energy. It is usually done under local anaesthetic and can be done in the out-patient department. At Ross Hall however, most cases will be done in theatre so that you will benefit from the other facilities including highly trained and experienced theatre nurses.

Before and after VNUS Closure

EndoVenous Laser Treatment (EVLT)

EVLT uses the heat of a laser beam to seal varicose veins. It is normally done under local anaesthetic. A fine catheter is placed in the vein followed by a delicate fibre-optic which transmits the laser beam. It takes about 15-20 minutes to treat the vein and is done in theatre.

Before and after EVLT

Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy (UGFS)

Foam can be used to treat most varicose veins. It is performed in the outpatient consultation room and it takes about 15 minutes. You can go back to work and normal activities immediately. Under local anaesthetic a small needle is carefully guided into the veins under ultrasound guidance. Foam is prepared and injected and spreads rapidly through the surface veins. The procedure takes about 15 minutes. It works by causing blood to stop flowing through the veins - they then gradually dissappear.

Microinjection Sclerotherapy

Ideal for spider veins or small varicose veins. Microinjection treatment is carried out in the outpatient consultation room. We use a tiny micro-injection needle to fill the veins with a chemical that causes them to empty of blood and shrivel up. No anaesthetic is required and you can go home and back to work immediately. If you have larger veins as well, we may also recommend using one of the other treatments.

Surgery

Some patients may require surgery - fortunately these days this is very rare - normally the other treatments such as Clarivein, EVLT or VNUS are possible. However, if surgery is required, you can rest assured that our consultants are highly experienced in varicose vein surgery as well as the other treatments described above.