Sclerotherapy of veins - description of the method, features, rehabilitation
Sclerotherapy is a procedure used to treat certain diseases of blood vessels and lymphatic system. Its essence consists in the introduction of a specific drug into the vessel lumen - it first glues its walls together, then dissolves. Sclerotherapy of the veins of the lower extremities is especially often performed for varicose veins, the procedure is also indicated for the progressive form of hemorrhoids.
Features of the event
The procedure differs from other treatment methods in the following advantages:
- the level of trauma is practically zero;
- there are no scars left after sclerotherapy;
- the procedure is completely painless;
- the rehabilitation period is shortened as much as possible.
Regardless of whether sclerotherapy of the vessels of the legs or other parts of the body will be performed, the patient must follow the rules during preparation:
- at least 48 hours before the procedure, it is necessary to stop taking any anti-inflammatory drugs - Aspirin, Ibuprofen and others;
- 2 days before the procedure and for 2-3 days after, it is forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages;
- during the same period of time, epilation should not be performed in the places where the drug is to be administered, and the skin should not be lubricated with lotions, creams, or ointments.
If the patient is constantly taking hormonal drugs (for example, contraceptives), then he should inform the doctor about this - they may need to be discontinued.
During the procedure, drugs can be injected into the vessels in the usual form or foam. In the second case, it is possible to achieve better results - foam sclerotherapy ensures maximum contact of the drug with the wall of the damaged vessel. In addition, this form of the medicinal product does not allow it to mix with blood, and therefore, the concentration of medicinal components does not change. In this way, vessels of any size can be treated - for example, sclerotherapy of "stars" is often performed. The only drawback of such means is that they are not capable of tightly gluing the walls of the vessel, therefore, for several months after the procedure, a vein can visually appear in the form of a twisted bundle at the place of its implementation.
Sclerotherapy of a node or a vessel that is not yet too damaged is performed under visual control or with the help of special equipment - first a puncture of the vessel is performed, after which the doctor makes sure that the needle is in the vein with the help of ordinary aspiration (suction of the contents with a syringe). After that, the drug is injected and elastic bandaging of the limb is carried out. Most often, an ultrasound device is used to control the manipulations, which allows the drug to be injected exactly into the required vessel.
Rehabilitation after sclerotherapy
There is no rehabilitation period, the patient must follow certain recommendations:
- immediately after the procedure, compression underwear is put on or elastic bandaging of the limb is performed;
- within 40-60 minutes after the procedure, you need to walk at a fast pace - this will increase the positive effect;
- compression underwear/bandage are not removed for 3 days, and if the procedure was performed on small vessels - for 2 days.
Rehabilitation after sclerotherapy allows a person to lead a normal lifestyle and not interrupt work. To achieve the maximum therapeutic effect, a course of 1-5 drug administration procedures is carried out, sessions are performed with a break of 5-7 days. Complications of sclerotherapy of the veins of the lower extremities are diagnosed extremely rarely and are usually associated with a violation of the technique - for example, if the agent was not injected into the vein, but into the soft tissues, the development of necrosis is possible.
More detailed information about how veins are restored after sclerotherapy can be obtained on our website Dobrobut.com.