How is the EVLO procedure performed?

Up to the time of surgical intervention – the patient must have already been examined, a conversation was held with him about the necessary preparation and hygiene before the operation, and all questions related to the operation and the postoperative period were clarified.

In the clinic, the patient is administered painkillers and sedatives, allergy tests are performed. Next, an ultrasound is performed with mapping of the affected veins, the dimensions are specified, their features, places of special attention, etc. are noted. This directly affects the choice of laser action mode.

After that, laser coagulation of the veins is performed, this process is constantly monitored using Ultrasound. At this stage, the patient may feel a slight burning or tingling sensation, a feeling of warmth along the vein being treated, but usually there are no sensations at all. The light guide is pulled out of the vein at a certain speed, gradually burning it from the inside. The patient can observe all stages together with the doctors on the screen of the ultrasound machine, which creates an atmosphere of confidence and security, and the fear of surgery disappears.

At the second stage, all affected varicose veins are removed using special tools – phlebological hooks. It is performed through skin incisions with a thick needle under local anesthesia, there is no pain. At the end, the punctures are sealed with a special patch, a multilayer bandage is applied, which consists of an aseptic bandage, an elastic bandage and a hospital stocking.

In the postoperative period, the patient is recommended an active movement regime for 3 weeks, no "lying down" there is no language. The patient does not need external help or care. Only 2 dressings are necessary after the operation. The first is carried out the day after the operation and consists in replacing plasters, cleaning wounds and replacing a tighter postoperative bandage with a regular elastic bandage, the second – on the 6-7th day, when plasters and sutures are removed from postoperative wounds, if any, a compression jersey is put on, training is conducted on its wearing and care, and recommendations for further behavior are given.

In many clinics, a compression jersey is worn immediately after surgery, but we divide compression therapy after surgery into two stages. The thing is that on the first or second day, a liquid is actively released from the wounds, which consists of an anesthetic solution injected into the leg and a bloody discharge. The work of the surgeon is carried out on the vessels in which there is blood, therefore, when they are removed, bleeding is quite natural. Such secretions will come into contact with the compression stocking and damage it. It will not last long, and this product is very expensive. In addition, putting on such stockings is not an easy task and requires a certain skill.

Therefore, when putting on and taking off, the patches will definitely come off. In this case, firstly, you will have to come for an additional dressing, and secondly, the wound will heal incorrectly and not beautifully enough. Therefore, we prefer to first bandage with an elastic bandage for a week, after 2-3 days, then remove it at night. A week after removing the plasters and stitches, a compression product is put on. The mandatory period of wearing a compression jersey is one month after the operation, then – only under certain loads.

After laser surgery, slight tingling, heartburn, heaviness in the leg may be noted. Most often, this happens on the first day and is associated with the need for a tighter bandage. The most common complaint of patients is a feeling of tightness and discomfort from the bandage. All this is tolerable and does not require the prescription of painkillers.

Considering the fact that the operated limb does not disturb in the future, the active and pain-free state immediately returns the patient to the usual mode of life. The minimum restrictions after such an operation apply to:

• prohibition of hygienic procedures (you cannot wash your foot for 7-8 days, how to adapt to taking a shower during this period – your doctor will tell you),
• doing sports, visiting saunas, running, jumping, lifting objects weighing more than 5 kg,
• driving a car for the first 2-3 days.

We can release patients to work the very next day, and sometimes after long and extensive operations, we recommend staying at home for a day and observing your condition and sensations in your leg.

• As after any other operation, bruises and hemorrhaging are possible. They are never malignant and widespread in nature, they appear more often on 3-4 days and pass on their own within 2-3 weeks, and are only aesthetically disturbing. In isolated cases, slight swelling of the lower leg near the foot can be noted, most often this occurs in the advanced stages of the disease and in case of massive damage to the veins, it is connected with the natural processes of redistribution of blood in the veins. In isolated cases, on the 5-6th day after the operation, there may be a feeling of a foreign body or a heaviness on the thigh, especially when it is abducted. It is absolutely safe and is related to the natural processes that occur in a burned vein. These feelings pass on their own within 10-14 days. Pain sensations are very infrequent, weak and short-lived. Sometimes there is numbness of the skin at the bottom of the leg near the foot.
• More serious complications, thrombophlebitis and thrombosis, are almost never encountered in our practice. The development of such complications was typical for the use in the treatment of the equipment of the previous generation and other laser light guides. In modern phlebology, laser devices with a wavelength of 1470 nm and double-ring light guides are recognized as the most effective, which ensure that the laser acts exclusively on the vein wall, without affecting the surrounding tissues. The use of these innovative technical means allows you to reliably, painlessly and safely achieve the maximum possible and sustainable result with confidence.
• Minimum traumatization of tissues and the absence of incisions during this operation reduces the probability of developing infectious complications to almost zero. Postoperative wounds heal very quickly, traces of punctures become invisible after about 4-6 months, this period depends on the individual features of the skin structure.

Control of the result of the operation is carried out after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. During examinations, ultrasound is performed in order to obtain information about the process of transformation of coagulated veins, as well as the dynamics of the development of the disease or its absence. Thus, the patient is under the active dynamic observation of specialists, which guarantees the stability of the postoperative period and the timely detection of any changes.

Thus, modern surgery is convenient and safe for patients, allows to cure the patient quickly, painlessly, with a high cosmetic result, without distraction from the usual lifestyle.