Spider Veins

As many women and men age, embarrassing and unsightly spider veins often surface on their legs and calves.  Not only are spider veins unattractive, but they are sometimes a precursor to more serious problems than can develop if left unchecked.  A common condition, spider veins are a venous insufficiency caused by decreased blood flow from the leg veins back up to the heart.  After a certain period, the veins essentially leak, causing crimson and blue web like patterns we all recognize.

Here in Central Louisiana, MIIGS offers a variety of treatment available depending upon the severity of your conditions.  All of these procedures performed by MIIGS physicians- board certified radiologists who are fellowship trained in minimally invasive endovascular therapy.

MIIGS offers a variety of treatments that address the entire spectrum of venous disease.  For superficial spider veins, patients are treated using a special Nd:Yag laser.  This is an outpatient treatment and virtually pain free.  The laser energy is deposited into the spider veins, which seals them shut.  For slightly larger spider veins, sclerotherapy-an injection of painless medicine-is used singularly or in combination with the Nd:Yag laser.  This procedure is also performed on an outpatient basis and offers near instantaneous results.  The final treatment, endovenous laser ablation, is for larger, more complex venous abnormalities.  In this case, the physician inserts a thin catheter into the vein through a small opening, delivering laser energy to the vein wall.  This causes the vein to heat, collapse and seal shut.  Once the diseased vein is closed, other healthy veins take over and empty blood from the leg.  The procedure usually takes 30 to 45 minutes and is considered very safe.  Because it is minimally invasive, it requires no large incisions and recovery time is much quicker.  In fact, a patient can usually be back at home quickly and even work the following day.