Radiofrequency ablation treatment
Thermal ablation of the veins
A state of the art alternative to the traditional stripping of varicose veins.
It is performed as a “walk in - walk out” procedure under local anaesthetic alone.
Under local anaesthetic and using ultrasound to identify the vein requiring treatment. The vein is cannulated and the catheter is inserted into the vein and positioned carefully under direct vision.
Local anaesthetic is infiltrated around the vein to protect surrounding tissue, ensure good contact with the catheter and provide pain relief.
The catheter is powered with radiofrequency and delivers heat (thermal energy) to the vein wall. As this thermal energy is delivered to the vein wall, the vein shrinks and is sealed shut.
Following the treatment a leg is bandaged up. This bandage can be removed after 24 hours and is replaced with a compression stocking which should be worn for 2 weeks.
Patients can resume normal daily activities with a day of the procedure.
What are the benefits?
It is minimally invasive
It has been associated with less pain compared to traditional vein stripping
It is carried out as a day case under local anaesthetic
It is faster to carry out than most other varicose vein procedures
Patients can resume normal activities within 1-2 days and typically return to work much sooner
81% of patients returned to normal activities within 1 day compared with 47% of vein stripping patients
The Vein is Cannulated under Ultrasound guidance and the treatment catheter is advanced up the vein to 2cm from the junction with the deep vein (the Sapheno femoral junction)
Local Anaesthetic is administered again under ultrasound guidance to surround the vein in tumescence. The acts as a heat sink, analgesic and it protects the surrounding tissues
The vein is then HEAT treated. The Catheter heats up to 120 degrees and in doing so ablates the vein being treated. This is done in 7cm sections and delivers controlled, consistent heat to each section
The heat provided by the catheter shrinks and collapses the target vein, this creates a fibrotic seal and occludes the vessel. Blood flow is naturally redirected to other veins as the recovery process begins