Vascular Disease

Vascular disease is a common medical condition, affecting approximately half of the US population. A wide range of vascular disorders exist, from cosmetic spider veins to more advanced conditions causing many different symptoms.

Contributing factors include age (40+), family history, obesity, smoking, heavy lifting, multiple pregnancies and professions that require standing or sitting for long periods of time. If left untreated, venous reflux disease may worsen over time.

Our interventional cardiologists use state-of-the-art technology to diagnose and treat all forms of vein disease. When left untreated, even varicose veins can lead to more serious concerns due to the progressive nature of the disease. Visit us for an evaluation if you are experiencing these signs and symptoms of venous disease:

• Spider or "broken" veins
• Bulging varicose veins
• Leg or ankle swelling
• Painful, aching, cramping legs
• Leg heaviness and fatigue
• Dry, flaky skin
• Discolored skin (brown, purple, red)
• Skin breakdown or ulcers

What Causes Vascular Disease?
The single most frequent cause of vein disease is heredity. Approximately 70% of all patients with varicose veins have parents with the same condition. Pregnancy, especially multiple pregnancies, is a contributing cause of vein disease. Other factors influencing vein disease are age, obesity, smoking, and jobs that require long periods of standing.

Treatments for Vascular Disease
Fortunately, treatments for vascular problems have a high success rate with little down time and easy recovery. Treating symptoms early is an important key.

Treatments depend on the nature and severity of the problem and can include:

• Lifestyle changes
• Compression stockings
• Sclerotherapy for spider and small varicose veins
• Micro-phlebectomy for bulging varicose veins
• Minimally-invasive thermal ablation (radio-frequency and laser)

Using minimally-invasive techniques, our physicians treat

• Swelling in the legs or ankles
• Tight feeling, itching, or inflammation in the calves
• Leg pain, heaviness or fatigue
• Painful leg cramps
• Skin changes such as itchy, dry skin or brownish discoloration
• Discomfort in the legs with the urge to move frequently (restless leg syndrome)
• Varicose veins (spider veins or bulging veins)
• Bleeding from varicose veins
• Leg ulcers

Benefits of treatment

• Significant relief of symptoms
• Better cosmetic results
• Less postoperative pain
• Ability to resume normal activities within one to two days

Treatment for venous reflux disease is performed on an outpatient basis, and the recovery time is minimal.

Vascular Services
All procedures are done on an outpatient basis. Check with your insurance company regarding policy coverage for venous reflux disease.

For more information, please visit www.PVDProgram.com