Varicose Veins Surgery
This webpage will give you information about varicose veins
surgery. If you have any questions, you should ask your GP or other
relevant health professional.
What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins are
enlarged and twisted veins in the leg. They tend to run in families
and are made worse by pregnancy and in people whose jobs mean they
do a lot of standing.
Veins in the legs contain many one-way valves to help the upward
flow of blood back to the heart. If the valves fail to work
properly, blood can flow in the wrong direction, causing varicose
veins (see figure 1).
Figure 1 - The cause of varicose veins.
What are the benefits of surgery?
You should no longer have varicose veins, and your symptoms
should improve. Surgery should help prevent complications that
varicose veins may cause.
Are there any alternatives to surgery?
There are other treatments such as injections (foam
sclerotherapy), radio-frequency ablation (RFA) or endovenous laser
ablation (EVLA).
Support stockings can often prevent the veins from getting worse
and ease aching.
What does the operation involve?
Varicose veins surgery is usually performed under a general
anaesthetic. The operation usually takes between twenty minutes and
two and a half hours.
Your surgeon may disconnect the superficial veins from the deep
veins in your legs through a cut in your groin or the back of your
knee. They will probably make many small cuts along the length of
the varicose veins and remove them.
Often the main varicose vein is ‘stripped out’ using a special
instrument.
What complications can happen?
1 General complications
- Pain
- Bleeding
- Infection in a surgical site (wound)
- Unsightly scarring
- Blood clots
2 Specific complications
- Developing a lump under a wound
- Numbness or tingling
- Damage to nerves
- Continued varicose veins
- Swelling of the leg
- Major injury to the main arteries, veins or nerves of the
leg
How soon will I recover?
You should be able to go home the same day or the day after. You
may need to wear support stockings. You should be able to return to
work after one to two weeks but this may vary depending on your
type of work. As long as your wounds have healed, you should be
able to carry out normal activities by four weeks.
Regular exercise should help you to return to normal activities
as soon as possible. Before you start exercising, you should ask a
member of the healthcare team or your GP for advice.
Occasionally varicose veins come back.
Summary
Varicose veins are a common problem and can lead to
complications if left untreated. Support stockings can help to
control symptoms but will not remove the varicose veins.
Acknowledgements
Author: Mr Bruce Braithwaite MChir FRCS
Illustrations: LifeART image copyright 2010 Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins. All rights reserved.
This document is intended for information purposes only and
should not replace advice that your relevant health professional
would give you.
Copyright © 2011 EIDO Healthcare Limited
The operation and treatment information on this website is produced
by EIDO Healthcare Ltd and is licensed by Ramsay Health Care
UK. The intellectual property rights to the information belong
exclusively to EIDO Healthcare Limited.
You may not copy, print out, download or otherwise reproduce any
of the information other than for your personal, non-commercial
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The information should not replace advice that your relevant
health professional would give you.