Newcastle Central Vein and Cosmetic Medical Centre

Surgical Stripping

The doctors at Central Vein and Cosmetic Medical Centre do not believe it necessary to surgically strip or pull out  (using ambulatory phlebectomy) any varicose veins.  Surgical ligation and stripping often involves placing a tie around the important junctions between the superficial saphenous veins and the deep veins. Our doctors believe that this procedure tends to cause new veins to arise from these junctions, leading to recurrence of varicose veins. Surgery also has increased risks, increased pain post treatment and inevitable scarring.  The latest techniques using laser and ultrasound guided injections are less painful, have lower rates of severe complications and do not cause scarring.

Guidelines for the modern treatment of varicose veins from the UK and US have put the non-surgical treatments of Endovenous Laser and Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy as preferred options over the old stripping procedure whicgh is now a third-line treatment. 

Key recomendations from the NICE Guidelines from the UK, 2013

"1.3.2 For people with confirmed varicose veins and truncal reflux: Varicose veins: diagnosis and management 

  1. Offer endothermal ablation (radiofrequency ablation of varicose veins and endovenous laser treatment of the long saphenous vein)
  2. If endothermal ablation is unsuitable, offer ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy
  3. If ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy is unsuitable, offer surgery. "

 

Key recommendations of Society of Vascular Surgery and American Venous Forum regarding the treatment of variocose veins , 2011

"11.1 Endovenous thermal ablations (laser and radiofrequency ablations) are safe and effective, and we recommend them for treatment of saphenous incompetence. 

11.2 Because of reduced convalescence and less pain and morbidity, we recommend endovenous thermal ablation of the incompetent saphenous vein over open surgery."

 

 

No vein is too large to be treated non-surgically.