Venous disease (insufficiency) occurs when the valves in the leg veins do not work as they should, either blocking blood flow down the legs or allowing backflow leakage.
Conditions treated at BMC include venous insufficiency, varicose veins and venous leg ulcers.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when veins in the legs do not bring blood to the heart in an efficient manner.
Symptoms of Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Symptoms include:
- Swelling, cramping, heaviness, itching, and tingling feeling in legs or ankles
- Pain during walking that stops when resting
- Skin color changes around ankles
- Varicose veins
- Ulcers on the legs and ankles
Causes of Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when there are malfunctioning valves in the veins. Blood tends to pool in the legs and cause increased pressure in the veins that may lead to symptoms.
Patients at a higher risk for chronic venous insufficiency include those who are overweight, are pregnant, are a current or past smoker, have high blood pressure in the leg veins, have deep vein thrombosis, are inactive for a long period of time or have a family history of this condition. Women over age 50 are more prone to developing chronic venous insufficiency.
Diagnosis of Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Duplex ultrasound - a painless procedure where gel is placed on affected area and a handheld device is moved across it in order to obtain a picture of the blood flow in the body
Treatment for Chronic Venous Insufficiency
- Increasing blood flow – elevating legs or wearing compression stockings to help blood flow and reduce pressure in the leg veins
- Medications – to improve the flow of blood through the veins
- Sclerotherapy – Sclerotherapy involves injecting a chemical substance into the affected vein to injure the veins so they are no longer able to fill with blood, and so become less prominent.
- Minimally Invasive procedure or Surgery – When simple procedures are not enough, the patient’s physician may recommend increasing blood flow by minimally invasive or surgical procedures such as radiofrequency, laser ablation, or veins stripping
Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are enlarged, bulging veins that are visible through the skin. Most commonly, varicose veins are located in the legs and feet. For many people, varicose veins are a cosmetic concern. For others, varicose veins can become painful or inflamed. For those people, treatment is needed before more serious problems occur.
Symptoms of Varicose Veins
Symptoms include:
- Appearance of veins on the leg
- Pain, burning, or aching feeling in the affected leg
- Cramps in the affected leg
Causes of Varicose Veins
Varicose veins can occur during pregnancy or after a leg injury.
Who is at Risk for Varicose Veins?
Patients at a higher risk for developing varicose veins include those who are older, are overweight, are current or past smokers, have a family history of varicose veins and/or tend to stand for a prolonged period of time.
Diagnosis of Varicose Veins
Physicians diagnose varicose veins by asking the patient about their symptoms, lifestyle, and family history. The physician will perform a physical exam, and if needed order a duplex ultrasound: a painless procedure where gel is placed on affected area and a handheld device is moving across it in order to obtain a picture of the blood flow in the body.
Treatment for Varicose Veins
- Increasing blood flow – elevating legs or wearing compression stockings to help blood flow and reduce pressure in the leg veins
- Surgery – More complicated cases of varicose veins may require minimally invasive or surgical procedures such as sclerotherapy, endovascular ablation, vein stripping, and small incision removal.
The following departments see patients with Venous Disease: