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By Daniel L. Arnold MD, FACS
Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is one of the most common problems we see as vascular surgeons. Venous insufficiency, which affects over half of the population, greatly impacts your quality of life and overall leg health, making fast vein treatment essential.
Even though you may not notice any external changes, we see some common symptoms with CVI. These include leg fatigue, heaviness and cramping, especially during long periods of sitting or standing.
What visual manifestations of venous insufficiency can you notice? These warning signs can vary from spider veins on the skin to actual ulceration of the skin, particularly around the ankle. Large varicose veins, skin discoloration or swelling of the ankles are other possible warning signs.
Once you feel like you may have the signs or symptoms of CVI, diagnosing venous insufficiency is quick and easy using ultrasound. This is a non-invasive test performed in the office and only takes about an hour.
Treatments have changed dramatically over the years. Early operations included vein stripping, which required hospitalization and general anesthesia. Today, we use laser therapy right in our offices. This treatment requires only local anesthesia.
Although you can never cure venous insufficiency, maintaining control of its signs and symptoms using laser treatments and sclerotherapy allows for improved leg health and quality of life. Reach out to our vein health specialists to learn more about how to recognize CVI and when to seek vein treatment.
