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Vascular
Whether you are experiencing leg swelling, pressure in your ankles, feet or calves, or poor circulation, we provide the vascular diagnosis and treatment you need — evaluated and treated in the same office.
Venous disease, from early to advanced
Leg symptoms are easy to dismiss as cosmetic or as ordinary aging. Some are. Others are the visible stage of a circulation problem that gets harder to treat the longer it runs.
Varicose veins
Twisted, swollen veins that lie under the surface of the skin. A common condition caused by weak or damaged valves, occurring when blood pressure increases in the veins.
Edema (leg swelling)
A variety of conditions can lead to chronic swelling of the legs, including congestive heart failure and lymphedema. Edema can cause a bluish or purple appearance on the legs where blood pools and flows in the wrong direction. An ultrasound of the legs is required to diagnose it.
Venous stasis dermatitis
High pressure in the veins of the ankles, feet or calves. Its appearance ranges from a fine red rash to large dark brown patches of skin. This is a sign of advanced venous disease and, if left untreated, can lead to venous ulcers.
Venous skin ulcers
Caused by poor circulation resulting from venous insufficiency. Veins have one-way valves that keep blood flowing toward the heart. When those valves are damaged by pressure, blood can flow backwards and leak out of the vein into surrounding tissue, breaking it down into an ulcer.
Smoking, obesity, prolonged standing, diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle all increase the risk.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
The deep veins of the extremities sit within the muscles. DVT is clotting in those veins — a serious condition that can cause major disability or death if the clot travels to the lungs and obstructs flow, causing a pulmonary embolism.
A small clot in a small calf vein can be managed with close observation, oral medication, compression hose, and frequent walking. Patients at risk of a more extensive clot are started on injectable and oral anticoagulants immediately on diagnosis.
If you are at high risk for DVT, you should have an ultrasound of the veins before any vein treatment. Untreated, repeated clotting episodes can lead to shortness of breath or heart failure.
Chronic venous insufficiency
The underlying failure behind many of the conditions above. Damaged valves allow blood to pool in the legs rather than return to the heart, producing aching, heaviness, swelling and skin changes that worsen over the course of the day.
Endovenous laser treatment
Most patients with venous insufficiency and varicose veins are treated with a procedure called endovenous laser treatment, or EVLT. It is minimally invasive and performed here in the office, with very little discomfort in the area of the treated vein.
Patients return to normal activities the same day. Compression therapy is worn for a period afterwards — usually around 72 hours.
Other treatments used depending on the vein involved include sclerotherapy, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy and VenaSeal.
Is it covered by insurance?
Medically necessary vein treatment is often covered, while purely cosmetic treatment is not. Coverage usually depends on documented symptoms, an ultrasound, and in many plans a trial of compression stockings first. We will tell you which category you fall into before anything is scheduled.
Looking for spider vein treatment?
Cosmetic spider vein work is handled on our vein and cosmetic page, with pricing listed.