VARICOSE VEINS
Varicose veins are the large, “rope-like” veins which are often one quarter inch or larger in diameter. They are veins that are close to the skin’s surface that have become swollen and raised.
Varicose veins occur when veins are not properly functioning. All veins have valves that open to allow the flow of blood to the heart and close to prevent backflow or “reflux” of blood to the foot. When valves fail to function properly, blood flows backward down the vein in the wrong direction. The blood overfills and distends the superficial veins under the skin, resulting in the bulging seen in varicose veins.
The causes of varicose veins include heredity, pregnancy, age, obesity, trauma and gender. Symptoms caused by varicose veins include aching leg pain, easy leg fatigue, swelling or throbbing, tenderness around veins and skin discoloration and ulceration.
The treatment of varicose veins has undergone considerable improvement over the last few years. At the Connecticut Center for Advanced Vein Therapy our Board Certified Interventional Radiologists are specially trained in non-surgical treatments using imaging guidance. We use our expertise in reading ultrasound and x-rays to guide tiny instruments through blood vessels or skin to treat your varicose veins without surgery.