Varicose veins, which are considered a cosmetic problem by the public, are actually an important symptom of venous insufficiency, a circulatory disease caused by the inability of the veins to perform their functions. As a problem affecting the veins, varicose veins are five times more common than arterial diseases. In this regard, it would be useful to talk about what varicose veins are and their symptoms, which we encounter frequently and which, if left untreated, can threaten our quality of life and our lives if it progresses further.
What is Varicose Veins and What Are Its Symptoms? strong>
As a systematically functioning mechanism in our body, veins have an important function for the circulatory system. The clean blood pumped by the heart is distributed to the body by the arteries and brought to the toes. The veins in the legs are responsible for sending the blood brought to the toes back to the heart and lungs for cleansing again. However, when the valves in the veins that help ensure the correct flow of blood are damaged, the circulatory system cannot perform its functions correctly and blood can escape towards the heart. At this point, the condition that occurs in the veins and can cause the entire circulatory system to deteriorate is called varicose veins.
Varicose veins are the condition that occurs when the valves in the veins, whose main function is to ensure the oxygenation of the blood and to carry the blood to rejoin the circulation, are deteriorated. With the deterioration of these valves, oxygenated blood cannot be carried upwards and accumulates in the vein, turning into varicose veins.
Varicose veins; It can cause symptoms such as feeling of heaviness, pain, swelling, paresthesia, night cramps, fatigue and itching, and restlessness. In general, we can list the manifestations of varicose veins as follows:
-The formation of new and bad-looking veins; Varicose veins manifest themselves with the formation of red, purple or blue thin capillaries with a diameter of 1-2 mm, looking like a spider or tree root, radiating from a dark spot.
-3-4 mm, which can be seen more clearly with the eye. with the formation of blue-green looking veins in diameter,
- Rod m under the skin It can also occur with the formation of veins that look like acarna and hazelnuts.
In the treatment of varicose veins, which treatment method will be applied to which patient is determined according to the condition of the varicose veins. For this reason, in addition to physical examination, Doppler ultrasonography is required to determine the condition of varicose veins.
What is Sclerotherapy?
Varicose veins, which appear on the body as swollen, dark-colored, and frequently curved, twisted, and abnormally enlarged, although they should be flat, can be treated with sclerotherapy. The method of injecting sclerosing material to destroy varicose veins, also called varicose veins, is called sclerotherapy. Sclerosing substance is one of the terms frequently used in medicine and means hardening. With its application, the veins that have formed folds and are abnormally enlarged are dried.
With the sclerotherapy method, the injected sclerosing substance allows the vessels to shrink and dry. A vein scar is created through the accumulated small capillaries, and the accumulated blood can thus be directed to healthy veins. The resulting vascular scar is absorbed by the tissues and disappears. In other words, the vein is closed by the drug injected into the vein, in this process the blood flow is directed to healthy veins, and thus varicose veins are eliminated by the body over time.
Today, hypertonic saline, sodium tetradecyl sulfate, as sclerosing substances are used. Many effective and safe substances are used, including polidocanol and ethyl alcohol. With the application of these effective and safe substances using developed methods, sclerotherapy has rapidly become one of the preferred methods. In Turkey, the drug injected in the sclerotherapy method is mostly polidocanol. The sclerotherapy method is applied to varicose veins with a diameter of 1-4 mm.
The method of injecting the sclerosing substance injected into the body with the sclerotherapy method may vary. In fact, sclerotherapy method is divided into two according to the injection method. These methods:
-Sclerotherapy by direct liquid injection; 0.5% polidocanol air in the treatment of capillaries It is injected with a PPD needle as a liquid without mixing with . The volume of these needles is very small and therefore they are not suitable for foam preparation.
-Foam sclerotherapy method; It is a method of injecting the liquid sclerosant injected into the veins as a foam by mixing it with air. For foam sclerotherapy, 23-25 G butterfly needles are mostly used. During foam sclerotherapy, the amount of air given to patients in a single session should not exceed 8 ml. The amount of medication to be used should be planned according to the patient's body weight before starting the procedure.
Adhesion Method in Varicose Vein Treatment
Adhesive method in the treatment of varicose veins; It is a method performed by injecting cyanoacrylate, a medical adhesive, into varicose veins. Varicose veins injected with cyanoacrylate stick together and are eliminated through this medical adhesive. Medical adhesive material is placed into the varicose vein through a catheter, that is, a thin tube, then the vein is closed and the blood flow is naturally transferred to other healthy veins in the leg.
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