Vein diseases and malformations can adversely affect blood flow to critical organs in your body. Besides, varicose veins can be itchy and painful and, in severe cases, cause cramping in affected limbs. Additionally, you might see discolouration on a limb with varicose veins. Such issues can be addressed through a procedure referred to as sclerotherapy. Although it involves injections, it is an overall minimally non-invasive procedure for treating varicose or spider veins. However, successful sclerotherapy is only possible using vascular ultrasound. Here are the key benefits of vascular ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy.
Precision
A sclerotherapy procedure involves injecting sclerosing agents into varicose veins in your legs and arms. The sclerosing agent or sclerosant, a foam-based chemical, damages the walls of the varicose veins, making them shrink and disappear with time. Thus, a physician must inject a sclerosant only into varicose veins and not any other vessels. Precision is crucial, which is where vascular ultrasound proves essential. A vascular ultrasound allows a sonographer to pinpoint the exact location of all varicose veins before injecting them with a sclerosant. Using other imaging techniques to locate varicose veins increases the chances of hitting the main vein, leading to the damage of otherwise healthy veins. Such an error can be detrimental to the blood supply in affected tissues.
Find Deep-Lying Varicose Veins
When a physician begins the sclerotherapy procedure, their objective is to find all varicose veins in your limbs. Targeting all varicose reduces the chances of recurrence. However, the varicose veins you see on the surface of your skin might not be the only issue. You could have deep-lying spider veins that might not be visible to a sonographer or physician. Therefore, a medical expert might only target visible malformed veins, leaving behind deeper ones. Vascular ultrasound makes it easy to locate deep-lying varicose veins, which could be at the developmental stage. It ensures thorough sclerotherapy and eliminates the recurrence of spider veins.
Minimally Invasive
Traditionally, the only treatment available to patients with a severe case of varicose or spider veins was surgery. Unfortunately, surgery is invasive and significantly limits the movement of a patient. Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy is the complete opposite because it is minimally invasive. Once a sonographer locates target varicose veins, all that remains is for the physician to inject a sclerosant agent into each. However, if a sonographer does not rely on vascular ultrasound during the procedure, they might have to increase the number of injections for maximum efficiency. Therefore, vascular ultrasound keeps the number of non-invasive sclerotherapy injections low.
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