A Leg Up: Treating Vein Disease, Medicine's New Frontier

“Vein symptoms can include aching, heaviness, fullness, itching, burning, and numbness. Nighttime cramping and restlessness can also be caused by reflux. Obvious signs—like varicose and spider veins—have long been downplayed by the medical community as cosmetic issues. They are not. Swelling, skin changes, and leg ulcers are serious medical conditions and can happen without a single visible varicose vein,” explains Draughn.

Blockages, on the other hand, occur in the large, deep veins of the pelvis. It’s called May-Thurner Syndrome (MTS). The condition was thought to be rare before a new diagnostic test, Intravenous Ultrasound, became available. A miniature ultrasound probe is threaded into the veins, and narrowing is measured with extreme accuracy. Large stents are used to relieve blockages greater than 50 percent. The long-standing pelvic pain associated with Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS) can be caused by blockage or reflux. Though it can be difficult to distinguish PCS from other conditions, symptoms often include heaviness, cramping, dragging, and aching in the pelvis. The urge to use the bathroom and pain during or following intercourse can also be present. Visible signs of MTS and PCS include varicose veins in the bikini area, under the buttock, in the upper inner-most thigh, back of the upper thigh, or over the pubic area. If reflux is diagnosed, the ovarian vein and associated varicose veins can be embolized. Today, simple office-based vein procedures can help both reflux- and blockage-based vein disease and are a far cry from the traditional vein stripping of yesterday. “Walk in, walk out, no downtime sums it up,” Draughn says.