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Varicose Veins are abnormal, elongated tortuous, unsightly blue channels, usually seen in the lower limbs.
 

The symptoms of varicose veins include visible tortuous veins, aching pain in the legs, bleeding from injury to a dilated vein.

A good clinical examination and a venous ultrasound scan can diagnose as well as assess this condition correctly.

In the early stages, compression stockings may help in relieving symptoms, in more advanced cases, non surgical injection treatment or a small surgical procedure can be offered. The chances or recurrence are minimal.
Laser treatment for treatment of varicose veins is now available and can be used in selected patients.

Varicose veins are a frequently occurring condition with up to 40% in women and 20% in men likely to suffer from symptoms such as fatigue, pain and swelling of the lower limbs. Soft tissue breakdown leading to ulceration can result if left untreated.

The medical term for varicose veins is venous insufficiency. The key function of the venous system is to transport deoxygenated blood from the various organs and parts of the body back to the heart. In healthy veins, valves located within the veins prevent the venous blood from returning back down the leg. When these valves no longer function correctly the vein is termed ‘Incompetent’ and venous blood collects in the veins, causing them to enlarge.
The result is visible varicose veins that are the cause of the pain, swelling and discomfort one may feel in the lower limbs.

Besides compression therapy, the most common form of treatment of varicose veins is the surgical removal of the incompetent vein, knows as ‘stripping’. This is an operating theatre procedure, performed under general anaesthetic requires a 1-2 day hospital stay and a 3 week convalescence period.
Smaller varices can be treated using scherotherapy, however discoloration of the skin and allergic reactions are a relatively common side effect of this treatment.

In general, all from the principal veins to branch veins can be treated with the laser. In the case of large varicose veins, the laser optical fibre is inserted into the vein and the vein is closed from the inside by the thermal laser energy. The laser fibre enters the leg through a small cannula and so the procedure leaves virtually no scar: To treat spider veins, the laser energy is delivered from the outside, penetrating through the skin to close the small blood vessels.
After treatment, blood no longer flows though the enlarged veins and the pooling of venous blood no longer occurs. The treated leg appears smooth and glowing again, ready to be shown!

Laser surgery is a gentle and quick method for the treatment of varicose veins. The procedure has following advantages:

• Minimally invasive
• Minimal discomfort
• Short treatment time
• Excellent cosmetic result
• Early return to normal activities
• Quick treatment with minimal discomfort
  
  Laser energy is a gentle, moderate and yet effective method of treatment. Small varices of spider veins can be easily treated in the shortest time – the procedure normally takes only a few minutes prior to treatment, the skin is cooled and the patient should feel little or no pain.

T.I.A is also knows as a mild stroke. It is a strong indication of a full fledged stoke.

The symptoms of TIA are :

• Sudden weakness of face, arm or leg especially on one side of the body.
• Twisting of Face
• Difficulty in speech or loss of speech
• Loss of vision or double vision in one eye
• Loss of consciousness and confusion of thought.

Contact a neurologist or a vascular surgeon (who deals only with the blood vessels of the body) immediately. If the diagnosis is a Carotid artery disease, your doctor may suggest Doppler Test, Angiogram or Magnetic Resonance Imaging. If the Carotid artery is found to be narrow, before it is blocked completely, it can be operated and cleaned up. This surgery is called Carotid Endarterectomy. Hence the artery is opened up and the cholesterol or fat is removed. The blood supply to the brain is thus restored.

Peripheral Vascular Disease, (PVD) is a disease involving the arteries and sometimes the veins of your limbs. The lower limbs are involved more frequently than the upper limbs. The underlying problem is a reduced blood supply to the tissues of the limb. The usually occurs due to the progressive narrowing of the arteries with age and deposition of fatty material in the arterial wall.

People who smoke or have smoked in the past, people with blood pressure and diabetics are at particular risk of developing the disease. It usually affects people over the age of 50 years.

• Cramping pain in the calf, thigh or buttock or walking, which is relieved by rest.
• Severe burning pain in the toes or foot, present all the time, but more evident at night or when sleeping flat.
• Blackening of toes.
• Non-healing ulcer on foot or leg.

Apart from causing limitations to your lifestyle, the progression of this disease can cause loss of limb and life. So, help yourself and lead a better quality, longer life.

One can actually help themselves in the early stages of the disease. But it is most important to see a specialist, who can access the extent of disease. A diagnosis can be made by a clinical examination and accurate non invasive imaging of the arteries. Bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty are both successful in selected cases.