EVLT Treatment for Varicose Veins Clinics Prices

What is EVLT?

EVLT stands for Endovenous Laser Therapy. Sometimes it is known as Endovenous Laser Ablation, EVLA, which may be a slightly more accurate term due to the nature of the treatment (ablation means removal of tissue). It is a relatively new treatment to the UK having been offered for around three years in treating varicose veins.

What are Varicose Veins?

The role of a vein is to return blood from the body to the heart. Arteries supply the blood from the heart, and the blood is pumped along by the pressure of the heart beating. The blood circulates through the capillaries in body tissues, to then enter venules, before entering the main veins for return. By this point blood pressure is small, so the veins utilise a valve system and the squeezing effect of muscles, to push the blood along. If valves become faulty, blood is allowed to flow backwards and will pool at points along the vein, causing it to stretch and enlarge. The veins can be seen as purplish, red or flesh coloured and are usually raised due to their enlargement. Because the legs have a lot of weight and gravity acting upon them, leg veins are the most common veins to become varicose.

Why do Varicose Veins need Removing?

For anyone who suffers with varicose veins, there can be a lot of distress caused with their unsightly appearance and the tendency to cause pain. Varicose veins are also potentially harmful because they can cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that if dislodged, could then lodge in a vital organ, causing damage and even death. Varicose veins also cause sores and bleeding.

What is involved in EVLT?

The EVLT treatment is not suitable for everybody, and it is only suitable for certain varicose veins involving the long saphenous vein (LSV), which is behind the appearance of many varicose veins. Possibly 70% of people are eligible for EVLT. The standard surgical procedure involves making an incision into the groin area to cut the LSV and strip it away. The procedure is quite harsh. The EVLT procedure is recognised as being equally effective, but much gentler with a faster recovery time.

The patient is given a local anaesthetic prior to painlessly passing a wire up through the vein being treated, to the groin. A fine tube is threaded over the guiding wire, and the laser is fed along the tube. Its position is checked with ultrasound and when the surgeon is happy that he is at the right spot, he will inject further anaesthetic at the laser site, before commencing the laser. The laser will close the vein up from the inside; moving the laser slowly back along the vein whilst it is switched on seals the vein along its length. The laser is removed and the patient is bandaged.

Post procedurally, there is some discomfort for maybe two or three days, and there will be a need for bandages, then a support stocking. After seven days, the bandages are removed. Some minor bruising and visibility of the vein may remain but the body will break down the remnants of the vein and this will disappear.

Costs

EVLT is available privately. Typical costs are around £1700 for one leg, and £2000 for both legs, but this may vary. Some clinics are recognised through private health insurers to carry out the treatment. It is not currently available through the NHS.