My doc recommended EVLA but can't guarantee a successful outcome. What are my other options?
I went to two different board-certified doctors and had an ultrasound performed. EVLA has been recommended, but I haven't made a decision about it yet. I only have one area with unsightly green reticular veins; they are in the front, at the top of my inner thigh. They can't guarantee that ELVA will resolve the problem for sure. What other options do I have then?
Answers from doctors (6)
Why not try something simple and just inject the veins with sclerotherapy to see if they dissolve and will alleviate your problem? You still will have the option of doing closure at a later time.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
You don't have EVLA done because of green veins in your legs--that is cosmetic. If you have no symptoms it is wrong to be treated.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Find someone you trust and follow their advice.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Do you have any symptoms? Have you worn compression hose? Depending on which vein has reflux by ultrasound, how big is it, and how much reflux it has dictates what type of treatment is best. Sclerotherapy, Varithena, and now Venaseal are all options, although if the great saphenous vein is affected and meets certain criteria for severity of reflux, EVLA is a very good option.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
EVLA by itself will not eliminate those reticular veins because you are not actually directly treating the reticular veins with the EVLA procedure. Your docs are correct in that they cannot guarantee that they will go away because nothing goes away until you actually treat them. And since they are not treating them, they more than likely will not go away. If you want them gone, you will need to have them injected. The only question is whether those green reticular veins are actually reticular veins. For most people, reticular veins are normally blue-gray, not green. It makes me wonder whether these green veins are actually tributaries off of your saphenous veins. In that case, they need to be treated using ultrasound. Your board-certified phlebologist not vascular surgeon would know this.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
If you don't have other symptoms, you don't need to do EVLA. You can have these veins treated with sclerotherapy and try to treat the feeder vein with sclerotherapy as well. If the veins are under 4mm, this therapy works well. The view that is insufficient may continue to feed these veins if EVLA is not performed and the symptoms, if any, may continue if this treatment does not treat the source of the problem.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
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