Are Treatments Painful?
The treatments that we use for vein disease are not completely painless, but the discomfort is very tolerable. In the EVLT and micorphlebectomy procedures the numbing of the skin is the most painful part of the procedures. The procedures themselves are painless since the areas are anestitized first. After these two procedures there will be some mild to moderate discomfort for a few days, but it is controllable with acetamenophen or ibuprofen.
The ultrasound-guided and visual sclerotherapy procedures require needle pricks, but the medication is usually not painful when it is injected. We do not use hypertonic saline which has a reputation of being very painful upon injection.
Overall, the treatments are quite tolerable to most patients.
Clovis E. Manley, MD
Evansville Regional Vein Center