Chronic Venous Insufficiency: Treatment Options

Chronic Venous Insufficiency occurs when blood pools in the legs instead of flowing back to the heart. It is the valves in your veins that ensure that blood flows to the heart. However, when these valves do not work well, blood can also flow backwards, thereby pooling in the veins.

You are more likely to have chronic venous insufficiency if you are overweight, pregnant, have a family history of the problem, or have had damage to your leg due to surgery, injury, or previous blood clots. Other causes may include lack of exercise; smoking; high blood pressure in the leg veins over time due to prolonged sitting or standing; a blood clot in a deep vein, and swelling and inflammation of a vein close to the skin. If you are a woman over 50, you are more likely to develop chronic venous insufficiency.

Chronic venous insufficiency gives rise to several symptoms, such as swelling in your legs and ankles; itchy, painful legs; pain when walking that stops at rest; brown-coloured skin near the ankles; varicose veins, leg ulcers that are difficult to treat; an uncomfortable feeling in the legs with an urge to move the legs, and painful leg cramps and muscle spasms.

It is imperative that chronic venous insufficiency be diagnosed early, so that its complications, such as varicose veins and leg ulcers do not occur. Typically, your doctor will take your medical history and give you a physical exam. You may also have to undergo an imaging procedure called a Duplex ultrasound. This looks at the blood flow in your leg veins, as well as the structure of these veins. It also determines the speed and direction of the blood flow in the blood vessels.

Your doctor may also perform a venogram to diagnose chronic venous insufficiency. This procedure involves putting an intravenous (IV) contrast dye into your veins. This causes the blood vessels to appear opaque on the X-ray image, which helps your doctor see them clearly on the image.

While chronic venous insufficiency can be challenging to treat, there are several treatment options for chronic venous insufficiency. Some of them are:

• Compression Stockings: You can keep your legs raised to reduce swelling and improve and increase blood flow. You should certainly wear compression stockings, especially when sitting or standing for long periods. Compression stockings are elastic socks that put pressure on your legs to help blood move. They come in different lengths, tightnesses and styles. You should consult your doctor as to which stocking might work best for you.
• Movement: You should try not to sit or stand for long periods of time. If you have to sit for a while, do stretch or wiggle your feet, legs, and ankles, to help your blood flow. If you have to stand a lot, do take breaks to sit and put your feet up. All of this movement will help lower pressure in your leg veins.
• Exercise: When you exercise regularly, this helps to pump your blood. You can walk regularly, which is a good simple way to boost blood flow and make your legs stronger.
• Medications: Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic to treat leg ulcers and infections. Sometimes he may also give you medicine to help prevent blood clots.
• Sclerotherapy: During this procedure, your doctor will inject a chemical solution into the problem vein. This will scar the affected vein and force the blood to be redirected, and to flow through healthier veins. Over time, your body will absorb the scarred vein.
• Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT): This is a relatively newer method that uses high-frequency radio waves or a laser to heat and close the problem vein.
• Ligation: During this procedure, the vein is cut and tied off, so that the blood cannot flow through it. Your doctor may also remove a vein that is extremely damaged.
• Microincision/Ambulatory Phlebectomy: During this technique, your doctor will use much smaller incisions, puncture, and small hooks to remove your damaged veins.
• Vein Repair: In this procedure, your doctor will fix the vein or the valves. He will do this through an open cut on your leg or through a smaller opening by using a long, hollow catheter or tube.
• Vein Transplant: During this procedure, your doctor will replace your damaged vein with a healthy one from somewhere else in your body.
• Vein Bypass: This is done only in very severe cases and on veins in the upper thigh. Your doctor will take part of a healthy vein from another part of your body. They will use that to redirect blood flow around the affected vein. You may have to stay in hospital for 2 to 5 days to recover from this procedure.

Many doctors also recommend a certain diet for chronic venous insufficiency. This diet is recommended to ensure that you do not suffer from constipation and therefore, reduce the chance of suffering from chronic venous insufficiency. This diet includes foods such as avocado, broccoli, leafy greens, brown rice, oatmeal, lentils, and barley.

It is imperative that in order to treat chronic venous insufficiency, you consult the right doctor. Dr. Abhilash Sandhyala, of the Flow Vascular Clinic, is one such expert. He is adept at EVLT and has used it to treat thousands of patients. He will work closely with you to determine the cause of your chronic venous insufficiency and will prescribe the right treatment or a combination of treatments for you.

He will work with you and treat you holistically as a complete individual. He is not only extremely skilful, but is also very empathetic and caring. He will get to the bottom of your problem and will treat it so that you can enjoy a better quality of life.

So, if you have chronic venous insufficiency, do not hesitate any longer…consult Dr. Abhilash Sandhyala and be sure that you have consulted the right doctor for your chronic problem!

For more information about Chronic Venous Insufficiency, as well as the treatment for DVT, or other vascular conditions, contact Dr. Abhilash Sandhyala at (+91) 9989649498 or 9959033037, or at [email protected] or visit our website at www.drabhilash.com