Venous Insufficiency
Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), also known as Venous Reflux, is a long-term medical condition that occurs as a result of partial vein blockage or blood leakage around the valves of the veins. This typically occurs in leg veins. While normal valves in your veins keep your blood flowing back towards the heart so it does not collect in one place, the valves in varicose veins are either damaged or missing. This causes the veins to remain filled with blood, also known as venous hypertension. This condition can pose multiple health risks. Untreated varicose veins can lead to long-term CVI (or Venous Reflux). We have vein therapies that can help treat your venous reflux. Our vein doctors can help you to understand the options that you have.
Venous Insufficiency Symptoms:
- Dull aching, heaviness, or cramping in legs
- Itching and tingling pain that worsens when standing and improves when legs are raised
- Swelling of the legs
- Redness of the legs and ankles
- Skin color changes around the ankles
- Superficial Varicose Veins throughout the legs
- Thickening of the skin on the legs and ankles
- Venous Stasis Ulcers on the legs and ankles
Learn more about the symptoms of varicose veins
Venous Insufficiency Treatment
Although venous insufficiency and varicose veins are more common among women, the disease also affects men:
Up to 40% of women
Up to 25% of men
The traditional treatment for venous reflux and varicose veins was surgical ligation and vein stripping, an open surgical procedure. This procedure usually required general anesthesia and then was associated with significant risks. The most significant include pain, bruising, and scarring. Other procedures, such as high ligation alone, sclerotherapy, and phlebectomy, that treat only visible varicosities without addressing the source of the problem (venous hypertension from reflux within the superficial venous system) have led to a high rate of recurrence.
Now there are treatments that not only improve the appearance of varicose veins, but also provide relief from the accompanying symptoms and improve general health.
Learn more about Laser Vein Removal
Treatment of symptomatic varicose veins is critical to your health and should be addressed as soon as possible. Learn more about treatment options in your visit to Boulder Vein Center. Please give us a call at 303-449-8346 to schedule an appointment today.