There are now multiple ways to achieve ablation of saphenous veins, the primary cause of varicose veins. Options include laser, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), sclerotherapy, and adhesive glue (VenaSeal™). All of these essentially work to close the vein either through heat energy or chemically. Once the vein closes, the vein shrinks, and your body eventually absorbs it. This has become the standard of care and is, in my opinion, far superior and less invasive than vein stripping.

May be done alone or more often in conjunction with EVA or high ligation. Your specialist works to remove individual varicose vein clusters from your leg using miniature hooks passed through small incisions. Most incisions do not require suture to close them. Although these procedures may sound painful, they cause relatively little pain and are generally well tolerated.

During sclerotherapy, a chemical is injected directly into the saphenous or varicose veins. The chemical irritates and scars the veins from the inside and eventually destroys and closes it. Blood from the leg now returns to the heart through alternative normal veins. Your body will eventually absorb the veins that received the injection. Multiple sessions are generally required to achieve optimal results.

High ligation refers to tying off a saphenous (Great or Small) vein through a small ultrasound guided incision to prevent backwards blood flow into a damaged or non-functioning vein. High ligation was historically performed in conjunction with vein stripping or as a stand-alone procedure.  At OVVI, high ligation is offered only in combination with Endovenous ablation, sclerotherapy or micro-phlebectomy when the saphenous vein is extremely large or in patients at higher risk for blood clots (DVT). In these situations, high ligation increases the chance of treatment success while reducing risk for DVT.