What is Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLT)?
Endovenous laser ablation is one of the most effective, minimally invasive treatments for chronic venous insufficiency, the root cause of spider veins, varicose veins, and most other vein problems. During the endovenous laser ablation procedure, the vein doctor uses laser energy channeled via a catheter to destroy the diseased vein responsible for all vein problems, rerouting the accumulated blood into healthier leg veins. The procedure usually concludes within 45 minutes and doesn’t involve any downtime.
Is EVLT safe and effective?
Endovenous laser ablation revolutionized vein care, paving the way for a wide range of minimally invasive vein treatment options involving only a small incision on the skin’s surface or a few injections. Endovenous laser ablation is performed under local anesthesia and only involves one small incision, which has a negligible risk of infections and other complications. Long-term data also shows that endovenous laser ablation has a far lower risk of recurrent vein disease than surgeries.
How does Endovenous Laser Ablation work??
Endovenous laser ablation is an in-office performed under local anesthesia. The vein doctor makes a small incision on the skin’s surface to insert a specialized catheter into the diseased vein under ultrasound guidance. The catheter has a laser fiber and wire passed along the sheath on top of the diseased vein. Once the catheter is in place, the vein doctor delivers tumescent anesthesia to protect the surrounding tissues from laser energy.
Finally, the vein doctor activates the endovenous laser device to generate laser energy, thus destroying the diseased vein. The laser fiber induces an inflammatory reaction from the diseased vein, which eventually scars down and gets reabsorbed by the body. The accumulated blood reroutes into healthier leg veins, thus restoring optimal blood circulation to the heart. As such, EVLT addresses the root cause of vein problems — not just the symptoms.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of EVLT?
Pros of EVLT:
- Minimal post-treatment pain and discomfort
- No risk of skin discoloration and darkening
- Concludes within an hour
- No post-treatment downtime
Cons of EVLT:
- Must avoid strenuous workouts for a week
- More post-treatment discomfort than radiofrequency ablation
- Involves using needles
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