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Ambulatory Phlebectomy (Minimally Invasive Surgery) - Overview
An ambulatory phlebectomy is a method of removing varicose veins on the surface of the legs. The procedure is performed by a physician using specialized surgical hooks that are placed through incisions one or two millimeters (less than one tenth of an inch) in length. As a result of using such small incisions a greater cosmetic result is achieved.
The advantages of an ambulatory phlebectomy are:
- They usually do not require suture closure.
- Provides a cosmetically acceptable alternative to the laborious treatment methods employed in injection treatment of small clusters of varicose veins.
- Avoids possible hyper-pigmentation (brown discoloration) or skin ulceration as a result of injection treatment on veins.
- Local anesthesia is sufficient in many cases.
- The small incisions eventually heal into barley visible scars the size of a small dot.
The disadvantages of an ambulatory phlebectomy are:
- An anesthetic is required and the procedure may need to be performed in an operating room.
- Since small hooks are used to extract the veins through the incisions, it is possible that a small sensory nerve could be damaged during the vein removal. However, such an injury rarely occurs.
Ambulatory Phlebectomy Before & After Photos
