• Watch the Good Morning America segment on Quick Treatment for Unsightly, Unhealthy Varicose Veins
• My legs look like my mother's!
• Vein Therapy & Laser Center of Fairfield County offers new, minimally invasive treatments to eliminate varicose veins without surgery
• Watch the video of Dr. David Klein's News 12 Connecticut interview on varicose veins

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My Legs Look Like My Mother's!  

NORWALK, CT, Jan. 7, 2005 -- You're trying on bathing suits for that mid-winter get-away and you look down at your legs. "What’s that?" you ask yourself in a panic. "Where did those lumps come from? My legs look like my mother's!"

For many women and men, varicose veins are something they never expected but which are relatively common. In fact, up to 20 percent of American women and men are affected by varicose veins.

Varicose veins often look like bumps or lumpy protrusions underneath the skin. Varicose veins often develop when large veins in the leg malfunction and allow blood to pool, a condition that leads to varicose veins. These varicose veins can make your legs feel heavy and tired. Cramping, throbbing, swelling, are also common problems.

Heredity is a major contributing factor to varicose vein disease. Women are more often affected by varicose than men usually due to pregnancy. But if you’re someone who has to stand a lot or if you are overweight, you also have a greater chance of developing varicose veins.

Treatments for Varicose Veins – Then and Now

In the past, the treatment for varicose veins consisted of compression stockings and a surgical procedure called "stripping." Many people shied away from the surgery, because of discomfort, long recuperation times, and significant scarring.

Recently, more advanced treatments have emerged and can be performed in a doctor's office. Among these advances are endovenous laser therapy and ambulatory phlebectomy. "Using today's minimally invasive technology, varicose veins can vanish without all the disadvantages and inconveniences of less modern treatments," says David Klein, MD, the Medical Director of the Vein Therapy & Laser Center of Fairfield County, an affiliate of Norwalk Radiology and Mammography Center. "These are relatively quick, effective outpatient procedures that involve minimal discomfort. After treatment, patients can walk out of the office and resume their normal activities. Their legs look and feel better sooner and with little or no disruption to their busy schedules. It's very rewarding when advancements in medical technology enable us to provide an alternative that’s far superior to older treatments."

With endovascular laser therapy a tiny laser fiber is inserted into a vein through a small puncture. Energy pulses from the tip of the laser seal off the malfunctioning vein, allowing the body to re-route the blood to other more healthy veins. The procedure is done with local anesthesia. Patients wear compression stockings for a short time after the procedure to promote faster healing.

An adjunct procedure called Ambulatory Phlebectomy is also done as an outpatient procedure and under local anesthetic. With this treatment, micro-incisions are made in the skin and undesired varicose veins are removed. The incisions are so small that stitches are not necessary and there is virtually no scarring. After the procedure, patients can go back to their normal activities. They may need to wear compression stockings for a short time to promote healing and new blood flow.

How to Know Which Procedure is Right for You

Dr. Klein advises that women bothered by their varicose schedule an initial consultation with a Board Certified Radiologist who specializes in Vascular and Interventional training. The doctor will meet with you to make a preliminary recommendation for your course of treatment. “We use an ultrasound to determine which specific veins are malfunctioning. When our patients have both varicose and spider veins, we usually treat the varicose veins first because they contribute to swelling and enlargement in smaller veins. When we are successful in treating the larger veins, we move on to the smaller ones.”

He advises men and women to do their homework before meeting with a doctor. “Patients tell me that our website’s Frequently Asked Question section (www.norwalkradiology.com) gave them a lot of information, “he says. He also advises going to the websites of The American College of Phlebology (www.phlebology.org) or the site for Endovascular Laser Therapy (www.elvslaser.com).

“This is the time of the year when many women seriously consider this treatment,” says Dr. Klein. “It makes sense to have it done in the winter, so their legs will be ready for summer. With today’s advances, nobody has to spend the summer in long pants because she’s embarrassed by varicose veins. Not anymore,” he says.

The Vein Therapy Center of Fairfield County is located at Norwalk Radiology and Mammography Center, at 148 East Avenue in Norwalk. Norwalk Radiology and Mammography Center is a full-service diagnostic imaging center staffed by fellowship trained radiologists who provide digital mammography and CAD, MRI, CT, digital ultrasound, bone density evaluation, X-ray and digital fluoroscopy.

Additional information on minimally invasive therapy for varicose and spider veins is available by calling 1-877-999-VEIN (8346).

Vein Therapy Center of Fairfield County Offers New, Minimally Invasive Treatments To Eliminate Varicose Veins Without Surgery  

Norwalk, CT May 2003 -- Approximately 25 percent of all women and 15 percent of all men suffer from varicose veins. The traditional treatment for this painful condition has been surgical stripping and ligation, a procedure that many patients found very painful -- and that often required up to six weeks of recovery time. Now, The Vein Therapy Center of Fairfield County, an affiliate of Norwalk Radiology and Mammography Center, is offering a far simpler, minimally invasive outpatient treatment of varicose and spider veins.

“Using today’s most advanced, minimally invasive technology, varicose and spider veins can vanish without all the disadvantages of older treatments,” says David Klein, MD, the Medical Director of the Vein Therapy Center. These are “quick, effective outpatient procedures that involve minimal discomfort. After treatment, a patient can simply walk out of the office and resume their normal activities.”

The Vein Therapy Center offers the full complement of vein therapies, including the newest treatment option, “ Endovascular Laser Therapy.” With EVLT, a tiny laser fiber is inserted into a vein through a small puncture site. Energy pulses emitted from the tip of the laser occlude a small portion of the vein, allowing the body to automatically route the blood to other healthy veins.

“This is a varicose vein treatment that’s perfect for today’s busy lifestyles,” notes Dr. Klein “Patients can look and feel better almost immediately and with very little inconvenience. They don’t have to disrupt their normal schedules. It’s very rewarding when advancements in medical technology enable us to provide an alternative that’s far superior to older treatments.”

The Vein Therapy Center also offers a procedure called Ambulatory Phlebectomy -- an entirely new alternative to remove the larger, thicker veins. According to Klein, this procedure “uses micro-incisions to gently remove the undesired veins. The incisions are so minute that stitches are generally not necessary, and there is virtually no scarring.”

Spider veins are also easily treated at the Vein Therapy Center by a process known as Sclerotherapy. With this technique, a micro-needle is used to inject a small amount of medicine into the undesired veins, causing the veins to shrink, and often disappear completely.

The Vein Therapy & Laser Center of Fairfield County is located at Norwalk Radiology and Mammography Center, at 148 East Avenue in Norwalk. Additional information on minimally invasive therapy for varicose and spider veins is available by calling 203-855-1067 or Toll Free 1-877-999-VEIN (8346).

• (Frequently Asked Questions about Vein Therapy)