Operative methods

But medicine has also made great progress in the field of surgery in recent years. Thanks to the surgical techniques we have refined, an operation only takes 40-60 minutes. The procedure can often be performed under local anesthesia or partial anesthesia; general anesthesia is not necessary. Depending on the findings and the surgical procedure, treatment can be performed on an outpatient basis in the practice (hook method) or as a short inpatient procedure (overnight hospitalization for stripping), eliminating the need for longer inpatient stays and sick leave.

VEINEXCONCEPT is a completely new development – a procedure that allows large varicose veins to be treated under local anesthesia.

Stripping

Stripping is used for varicose veins in the course of the small or large rose vein, so-called truncal varices. The varicose veins usually originate deep in the area where they open, i.e. in the groin or hollow of the knee, where an initial incision is made and the vein trunk is located. A special probe, the "stripper", is then inserted here and guided out again via a second incision on the lower leg. The entire varicose vein trunk can now be pulled out with the help of this probe, without the need for a long, ugly incision along its entire course.

Stripping is a "minimally invasive operation" or "buttonhole surgery" because it requires very few incisions and therefore hardly affects the surrounding tissue such as skin, nerves and lymph vessels. Partial anesthesia is almost always sufficient to eliminate pain. The procedure usually takes about half an hour, and the patient can get up and walk around with a tight bandage just a few hours after the operation.

This procedure is performed in various inpatient clinics.

Hook method (phlebectomy)

You can compare this procedure to a blackbird pulling an earthworm out of the lawn. A hook is inserted through the skin into the subcutaneous fatty tissue where the vein runs through tiny micro-incisions. The vein is grasped with the hook, pulled outwards visibly and torn off under the skin. Another micro-stitch is made to access the subcutaneous fatty tissue again and the next part of the vein is removed... and so on. In this way, it is also possible to remove large sections of vein without leaving incisions and/or scars. The micro-incisions are only 1-2mm in size. They heal so quickly and invisibly that it is possible to shower the very next day.

Of course, visible spider veins can also be treated in the same session if the patient so wishes. Immediately afterwards, a bandage is applied to the leg so that it can no longer bleed from the small punctures. The bandage can be removed the next morning and a rubber stocking is not necessary.

Risks and complications

Complications are unlikely with both surgical methods, the risk is minimal. The following complications are possible but easily manageable:

• In addition to minor bruising, a small nerve branch may be injured, resulting in a slight numbness for a certain period of time, but this usually disappears quickly.
• In individual cases, there may be a short-term lymphatic drainage disorder, which also almost always normalizes on its own.
• As with any operation, there is a risk of inflammation, but this rarely occurs in the leg.
• All after-effects of the operation are harmless and disappear after a short time.