Understanding Venous Reflux and Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)

About Venous Reflux
Healthy leg veins have valves that keep blood flowing to the heart.

Venous reflux develops when valves stop working properly and allow blood to flow backward, or reflux, and pool in the lower leg veins.
Healthy leg veins have valves that keep blood flowing to the heart.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency:
If venous reflux is left untreated, it may worsen over time and develop into a more serious form of venous disease called chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).

CVI Signs and Symptoms in the Legs or Ankles

- Varicose veins
- Aching or pain
- Swelling
- Cramping
- Heaviness or tiredness
- Itching
- Restlessness
- Skin changes and/or discoloration
- Open sores or ulcers

CVI Risk Factors

- Family history
- Lack of exercise
- Leg injury or trauma
- Prolonged sitting or standing
- Obesity or excess weight
- Current or previous pregnancies
- Smoking
- Blood clot (deep vein thrombosis)

Using ultrasound to scan your leg(s), your physician will determine if you have venous reflux in your leg veins.

Treatment

The following may be prescribed to treat your superficial venous reflux disease. Your doctor can help you decide which treatment is best for you:
- Compression stockings
- Removing diseased vein
- Closing diseased vein (through thermal or nonthermal treatment)

VenaSeal Procedure: Nonthermal Vein Closure

The VenaSeal closure system is a safe and effective treatment, providing significant improvement in quality of life.
 

In a U.S. study, the VenaSeal system and thermal radiofrequency ablation treatments had similar clinical results at five years: 94.6% closure for the VenaSeal system and 91.9% for thermal energy.
 

The VenaSeal system delivers a small amount of a specially formulated medical adhesive to close the diseased vein, returning blood to nearby healthy veins, which provides symptom relief.

What Can I Expect from the VenaSeal Procedure?

Before the Procedure:
You will have an ultrasound imaging exam of the leg that is to be treated. This exam is important for assessing the diseased superficial vein and planning the procedure.

During the Procedure:
Your doctor can discuss the procedure with you. Here is a brief summary of what to expect. You may feel some minor pain or stinging with a needle stick to numb the site where the doctor will access your vein. Once the area is numb, your doctor will insert the catheter (a small, hollow tube) into your leg. You may feel a pressure from the placement of the catheter. The catheter will be placed in specific areas along the diseased vein to deliver small amounts of the medical adhesive. You may feel a mild sensation of pulling. Ultrasound will be used during the procedure to guide and position the catheter. After treatment, the catheter is removed and a small adhesive bandage placed over the puncture site.

After the Procedure:
You will be taken to the recovery area to rest. Your doctor will recommend follow-up care as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is the VenaSeal procedure painful?
  Most patients feel little, if any, pain during the outpatient procedure.
• Is there bruising after the VenaSeal procedure?
  Most patients report little to no bruising after the VenaSeal procedure.
• What happens to the VenaSeal adhesive?
  Only a very small amount of VenaSeal adhesive is used to close the vein. Your body will naturally create scar tissue around the adhesive over time to keep the vessel permanently closed.
• How does the VenaSeal procedure differ from thermal energy procedures?
  The VenaSeal procedure uses an adhesive to close the superficial vein. Thermal energy procedures use heat to close the vein. The intense heat requires a large volume of numbing medicine, which is injected through many needle sticks. The injections may cause pain and bruising after the procedure.
• Is the VenaSeal procedure covered by OHIP or other health insurance?
  VenaSeal is not covered by OHIP and most insurance providers. For more information, please contact your insurance provider.