Why is my leg swollen and painful after endovenous laser ablation?

A month after ELA I have severe edema and pain in my leg. I never had any pain in the leg before the procedure. Why is my leg now swelling, and why am I experiencing pain?.

Answers from doctors (2)


The Sheen Vein Institute

Published on Sep 22, 2015

If the only treatment you have received is the ELA, then your treatment was incomplete. Your pain could be due to issues arising from your ELA (i.e., vein not closed, trapped blood in the vein, and even an open tributary trying to feed into your now closed vein). As for your swelling, this could be due to localized inflammation from the causes I mentioned above, or it could also be due to the ELA treatment itself. On occasion, some physicians will laser normal parts of a vein. When this is done to a larger vein like a GSV, it can result in persistent swelling in the leg because, unlike in the case of refluxing veins, your circulation has adapted to those defects. Your circulation has not adjusted to the closure of a normal vein. Thus, a relative increase in circulatory congestion which results in swelling. This is part of the reason why people who have veins taken out of their legs for heart surgery often times have residual swelling in the leg long after the vein harvest.

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Answered by The Sheen Vein Institute

If the only treatment you have received is the ELA, then your treatment was incomplete. Your pain could be due to issues arising from your ELA (i.e., vein not closed, trapped blood in the vein, and even an open tributary trying to feed into your now closed vein). As for your swelling, this could be due to localized inflammation from the causes I mentioned above, or it could also be due to the ELA treatment itself. On occasion, some physicians will laser normal parts of a vein. When this is done to a larger vein like a GSV, it can result in persistent swelling in the leg because, unlike in the case of refluxing veins, your circulation has adapted to those defects. Your circulation has not adjusted to the closure of a normal vein. Thus, a relative increase in circulatory congestion which results in swelling. This is part of the reason why people who have veins taken out of their legs for heart surgery often times have residual swelling in the leg long after the vein harvest.

Published on Jul 11, 2012


More About Doctor Laser Vein Center

Published on Sep 22, 2015

It's hard to say why you are having the pain. Some pain and/or soreness is in the thigh after the ablation. Mild swelling can also occur. However, severe edema is concerning. I recommend that you get evaluated by your surgeon or another to find out the cause. A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) should be ruled out.

Answered by Laser Vein Center (View Profile)

It's hard to say why you are having the pain. Some pain and/or soreness is in the thigh after the ablation. Mild swelling can also occur. However, severe edema is concerning. I recommend that you get evaluated by your surgeon or another to find out the cause. A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) should be ruled out.

Published on Jul 11, 2012


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