Sore feet, oedema, and blue veins are all common signs of varicose veins. If not treated promptly, this condition can cause thrombophlebitis and even pulmonary embolism, which can lead to death.
What are varicose veins?
They are shallow veins in the legs which cause stagnant blood resulting in swelling of the lower extremities. The disease occurs when the vein wall is dilated and damaged, and the valve inside the vein is also impaired. The condition is common in women who do specific jobs which require standing or sitting for a long time, such as office workers, teachers, waiters, doctors, as well as those who are pregnant or obese. Varicose veins not only affect the aesthetic appearance, but also cause discomfort, pain, and effect an individual’s daily life. Examples include:
- Feeling of tightness in the calves, or heaviness on the feet
- Nocturnal cramping in the calves at night, numbness in the legs
- Swollen, itchy legs, especially around the ankles
- Inflamed skin, blue veins along the thighs, ankles or knees
- Skin discoloration, sores and even infections of the soft tissue near the ankles
The disease progresses gradually and can cause further complications, such as superficial venous thrombosis and deep vein thrombosis, which cause pain and oedema of the lower extremities. For deep vein thrombosis, the patient may experience complications due to the subsequent blood clots moving along the bloodstream to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, which can easily lead to death.
Treatments
FV Hospital’s Vascular Surgery Department has a team of experienced, well-trained overseas doctors with, for the first time in Vietnam, knowledge of Intravenous Laser Therapy to help treat varicose veins.
Intravascular Intervention: Intravenous injection and intravenous laser blood irradiation. These two methods have many outstanding advantages, such as keeping the aesthetics, having no scarring, providing a fast recovery time, ensuring no pain, and also allowing patients to walk normally right after the procedure.
- Intravenous injection: The doctor will inject drugs that cause fibrosis into the damaged blood vessels. The patient will receive several injections until the disappearance of the varicose veins. This is an effective treatment for superficial veins of subcutaneous veins.
- Intravenous laser blood irradiation: With the principle of using heat from laser light to collapse the veins, the doctor will insert the laser fibre into the varicose veins. After turning on the power, the laser is projected into the position to intervene and then pulled slowly out so that the two venous walls stick together. In addition, the anaesthetic process that pumps water around the veins will help reduce the effect of the laser on surrounding tissue, limiting tissue burns as well as avoiding complications on the sensory nerves.
FV Hospital’s Vascular Surgery Department is able to provide surgical and interventional treatment for varicose veins with the most advanced treatment regimen thanks to the support of the department’s modern equipment. In addition, FV uses a modern German Laser Biolitec system and a local anaesthetic injection system to help relieve pain, not cause complications and help patients to recover quicker.
Assoc. Prof. Tran Minh Hoang graduated from the Vascular Surgery and Interventions Institute in France and has many years of experience in this field through treating and teaching at major hospitals and universities in Vietnam.
With nearly 20 years of domestic and international experience, and deep expertise in the treatment of varicose veins, Dr Tran Minh Hoang became the first Laser Vein Pathologist to work in Vietnam and has been working at FV Hospital since 2011.
To arrange a consultation at Vascular surgery department, please contact: (028) 54 11 33 33 – Ext: 1519
