Radical Super Glue Treatment for Varicose Veins

19 September 2016

Super Glue treatment with VenaSeal, the latest minimally invasive and pain free treatment for varicose veins, is being performed for the first time in Greece at Hygeia Hospital.

VenaSeal is the first and only system that uses intravascular glue (cyanoacrylate) to seal and obliterate the vessels that cause varicose veins.

VenaSeal requires local anesthesia at a single site and can treat the entire length of any vein (greater saphenous, lesser saphenous or any of their branches). Other minimally invasive procedures like endovascular laser and radiofrequency can only treat diseased veins down to the knee and require multiple punctures at the thigh for tumescent anesthesia. Through a single skin puncture a special catheter is introduced inside the diseased vein and a dedicated device is used to deliver the superglue (VenaSeal) to the vessel. The entire procedure is monitored in real time using high definition color duplex ultrasonography, allowing the surgeon to place the superglue very accurately inside the vessel. The vein is obstructed immediately and absorbed at a later stage. Laser and radiofrequency are heat based therapies. Venaseal does not use thermal energy and therefore avoids the potential risks of skin or nerve injury. In the vast majority of cases, patients go home the same day and may return to their normal activities immediately, without having to wear elastic stockings. The VenaSeal system is FDA approved. Clinical studies have demonstrated the safety, advantages and superb results of this method.

Commenting on the treatment, the Director of Vascular Surgery Clinic at Hygeia Hospital, Dr Stavros Kalliafas, noted, “We are quite pleased that HYGEIA became the first hospital in Greece where this state of the art minimally invasive varicose vein treatment is being performed. A large number of patients have already been treated with Venaseal with excellent results. Furthermore, in our clinic, we continue to use all the older methods for varicose vein treatment (endovenous laser, radiofrequency, foam sclerotherapy, endovascular stripping, microphlebectomy). We therefore offer an individualized treatment to each patient, in order to achieve excellent long-lasting results.”