Yamunanagar
18 May 2019
DIVYA AZAD
The new range of modern technologies at Fortis Hospital, Mohali is helping patients with Varicose veins for a quicker painless recovery. These technologies include DIODE Lasers, NDYAG Lasers, Radiofrequency, foam sclerotherapy, Glue ablation and MOCA techniques. While interacting at the press conference here, Dr Ravul Jindal, Director, Vascular Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Mohali said that these modern techniques allows a patient to leave the hospital within an hour of treatment.
The laser procedure involves puncture of vein under ultrasound guidance and burning it using diode laser. This technique is combined with foam sclerotherapy to ablate small veins. It is safe and painless. Patients can return home the same day, as compared to conventional surgery where they had to be hospitalized. Laser procedure is performed under local anesthesia and is scar-free. There are no cuts or stitches. As it causes minimal damage to tissues, it’s especially useful in patients who are on blood thinners, are obese, have a groin infection, and are old or patients who fear surgery. Patients can return to normal life within 24 hours, except for undertaking vigorous exercise.
Speaking about the importance of treating varicose veins, Dr Ravul Jindal said,“Enlarged and tortuous veins should not be neglected as just any other pain. Such veins, known as varicose veins, need to be treated as early as possible to avoid further complexity. It can occur in any part of the leg but are mostly found on thighs and calves due to strenuous and long hours of continuous standing. They are often painful and itchy. Scratching them could cause ulcers. Thankfully, complications are rare, but at the same time the disease can be debilitating.”
The ailment is usually characterized by aching and heavy legs, ankle swelling, dilated bluish bulge under the skin, redness, dryness and itchiness of skin. In some people,the skin above ankle may shrink because fat underneath it becomes hard. The symptoms also include whitened, irregular scar-like patches that can appear at the ankles or patient can have chronic non-healing ulcers.Dr Jindal added that the disease marks indication of a malfunction of venous system and should be evaluated by a vascular surgery specialist.
“If the disease is not properly evaluated and is operated by an inexperienced surgeon, chances of reoccurrence of varicose vein gets higher,”Dr Jindal cautioned.
Conventional surgery for treatment requires anaesthesia, hospitalization and 2-3 weeks’ recovery time. Chances of reoccurrence are higher and leave behind trail of multiple cuts.
