A vein in my right leg was stripped out 25 yrs ago, on inside from ankle to groin. Now, a large vein has appeared, running across the thigh above the right knee up into groin and tracking down under the right knee. Which vein(s) is this? What are my treatment options?
The vein that you appear to be describing is your anterior accessory great saphenous vein. It is a vein that can commonly go bad over time. Your treatment options depend on where you go. Most docs who do not do a lot of vein treatments will try to strip it much like they did your great saphenous vein. I tend to prefer the non-surgical route, which is via laser and injections. The benefit of this method is that you will not have any scars from the treatment, the vein goes away permanently without the risk of revascularization occurring as a result of the stripping (this is a bad thing because you start to grow new varicose veins within 5-10 years), and there is no down time and no wounds to care for. Have a consultation with a skilled vein specialist.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
This is a common problem when stripping was done years ago when it was the only option. Consult with a skilled vein specialist who is versed in performing a variety of different vein treatments, like EVLT, sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, etc.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
The first step would be to find a clinic that has physicians that are accredited by the American College of Phlebology, then have an ultrasound done. The ultrasound will help with a treatment plan. You do want to find out if there are any saphenous veins with reflux because that could be feeding the bulging vein. The bulging vein is just a varicose vein, it really doesn't have a name. Ablations, ambulatory phlebectomy, and sclerotherapy are the treatment options.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
You need to have a doppler to determine which superficial veins require treatment. The study will determine treatment options.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
This problem vein is a different vein than the one that was stripped. You need an ultrasound to look at the anterior assessory saphenous vein.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Your treatment options may include some form of vein ablation like laser, radiofrequency or chemical. Another treatment option, known as microphlebectomy, removes the veins through tiny incisions. To find out what your potential treatments are, you would first need a venous duplex ultrasound of your leg.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
There are many treatment options available. Usually, the procedure can be performed in an office, but this may depend onthe source of recurrent vein. Options might be vein ablation, sclero therapy, and/or microphlebectomy.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
So, it sounds like you had your great saphenous vein stripped. The new vein across your thigh is called the anterolateral tributary or anterior accessory saphenous vein (the terminology varies). This vein joins around the same area as the vein that was stripped in the groin and travels across the thigh to the lateral or outer knee area.Very commonly this vein becomes incompetent like your original vein and has reflux (backflow of blood) which ends up bulging into a varicose vein. I would treat this by closing the groin end of the vein with an ablation catheter (or others use EVLT laser which accomplishes the same thing), and ambulatory phlebectomy to remove the vein where it gets more superficial. Another option would be to inject it with sclerotherapy, but it is most likely a large vein and closure rate with that is in the 60-70% range versus 98% with ablation. All of this is done in the office with minimal recovery, nothing like the vein stripping you had before. There also may be what is called neovascularization in the thigh area which is regrowth of veins following a stripping which you would need an ultrasound to assess for. These are usually amendable to injections of sclerotherapy to close them.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
This vein is most likely the anterior accessory saphenous vein, which is a very common cause of recurrent varicose veins. The best treatment would be to have a venous ultrasound to identify this vein and the source of reflux leading to your varicose veins. Following this, laser closure of the refluxing veins and microphlebectomies or sclerotherapy of the varicose veins can then be done. See a vein specialist.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
I recommend that you see a vein expert and have a duplex ultrasound study to determine exactly which vein is involved and what the options are for treatment. There is no way to tell without a complete examination.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
You need an ultrasound and go from there. You will most likely require ultrasound-guided injections vs. catheter-based ablation.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
The new vein is probably a branch from the stripped saphenous vein, which has developed during the natural progression of your condition. Treatment options will depend on whether a deeper vein is flooding this surface vein according to an ultrasound mapping test. The usual treatment options include phlebectomy and sclerotherapy.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
In order to determine which treatment options are best based on your particular condition, you need to consult with an accredited vein specialist and be evaluated.
Published on Jul 11, 2012