LASER TREATMENT
FOR VARICOSE VEINS

Up until the turn of the century, if you had Varicose Veins your

treatment options were largely limited to either 'ligation' of the

affected veins, which is tying off the affected vein, or 'stripping',

which is the surgical removal of the vein.

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Although both of these treatments are still available, there are

now a range of newer treatment techniques which are quicker

to perform, with much shorter recovery times and high success

rates. One of these is a type of laser treatment called

'Endovenous Laser Ablation', often shortened to 'EVLA'. 'Ablation'

is a medical term that means 'removal', often used where either a laser or an electric current is applied; the word 'endovenous' simply means treatment that occurs within a vein.

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A laser beam is a beam of light comprising just one wavelength of light (the acronym 'laser' stands for 'light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation'). During EVLA treatment a laser beam is directed into the affected vein, which creates heat inside the vein and makes the vein contract and then close off.

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At present there is no one standard laser light wavelength used, with around six different wavelengths currently used – all seem to be equally effective, although further research is needed to determine if one wavelength is more effective than the others.

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Endovenous Laser Ablation is used primarily to treat either the great saphenous vein, which runs along the thigh, or the small saphenous vein which is located at the back of the calf, or both. The treatment is most effective where the vein being treated is relatively straight, so veins with twists and turns (called 'tortuous' veins) and smaller veins ('thread' veins and 'reticular' veins) are not suitable for EVLA treatment. Other treatments, such as Sclerotherapy are more appropriate for these types of veins.

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See this page for more information on the Endovenous Laser Ablation procedure.

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Published studies of the EVLA procedure indicate a high level of effectiveness, with a success rate of over 90% across a range of studies, and 98% in two other studies which followed up patients who had undergone the procedure five years (or more) afterwards.

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In 2008 the Australian Medical Services Advisory Committee stated that Endovenous Laser Ablation “appears to be more effective in the short term, and at least as effective overall, as the comparative procedure of junction ligation and vein stripping for the treatment of Varicose Veins”, and that “occurrence rates of more severe complications such as DVT, nerve injury and paresthesia, post-operative infections and hematomas, appears to be greater after ligation and stripping than after EVLT*”.

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