賴曉亭醫師的部落格

The Taipei Times staff  Jun 20, 2006

A new laser treatment was showcased yesterday which can relieve varicose vein problems and reduce the risk of complications after corrective surgery.

A press conference held at Taipei Veterans General Hospital yesterday publicized the treatment, and claimed that the new Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT) in coordination with micro-phlebectomy offered a "convenient and low-risk" treatment.

Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted, painful veins resulting from poorly functioning valves. They usually occurs in the legs, although they may occur elsewhere, and affect women more than men

Causes include congenitally defective valves, thrombophlebitis and pregnancy. Prolonged standing and increased pressure within the abdomen may increase susceptibility to the development of varicose veins, or aggravate the condition.

Hospitalized
Lai Hsiao-ting (賴曉亭), chief director of the hospital's cardiovascular unit, said traditional treatments usually consist of high ligation and stripping therapy and involve patients being hospitalized for three days to one week.

Conventional treatments are more likely to be followed by complications such as edema and hemorrhage, he added.

The new therapy, he said, however makes use of needles and catheters to direct fiber optics into a patients' leg and burn the varicose veins by means of a laser.

Lai said the new treatment meant patients didn't need to ask for time off work as hospitalization was unnecessary. The micro-surgery can be performed as an outpatient service without the need for anesthetization of the patients. Wounds are no bigger than a pinhole and the operation only takes 45 to 60 minutes.

Patients can walk roughly 15 minutes after the operation, he said.

The therapy's success rate has so far been very positive with none of the 167 patients who have received the treatment at the hospital reporting any recurrence of the condition so far, Lai said.

Bruising
He also said the only side effect of the treatment may be temporary bruising. A patient surnamed Chen said she has suffered from varicose veins for more than 20 years and none of the traditional treatments she had received had helped.

However, she said she can now walk more easily following the treatment with the new EVLT procedure.

Another patient surnamed Tien said she had also been plagued by varicose veins for more than 20 years, suffering from leg swelling and seizures in recent years, but that her condition had eased considerably after undergoing the new treatment.

Lai said national health insurance does not cover the therapy which costs about NT$60,000 (US$1,875) per leg.