Endovenous Laser Ablation Treatment EVLT

Endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT is one of the most effective, safest, and cost effective minimally invasive procedures for treating varicose veins.  Often recommended when conservative self-care methods, such as exercise, reducing sodium intake, and wearing compression stockings, are not effective, EVLT uses the heat from an image-guided laser to ablate – or close down – a swollen, damaged vein.

Although not a surgical procedure, EVLT is an outpatient procedure performed by a Vein Specialist and Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT) and under a small amount of local anesthesia;  endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT effectively eliminates the vein that is varicose without more intensive surgical procedures like vein stripping.

Endovenous Laser Ablation Of The Great Saphenous Vein.

While endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT is suitable for treatment of most non-functioning veins, it is often used to treat a damaged or faulty great saphenous vein.  Although we have many named veins in the legs (or the veins you tend to see on an anatomy chart), the great saphenous vein, or GSV, is the longest vein in your leg.  The GSV runs  from the groin to the ankle, and is responsible for returning blood from the foot, leg and thigh to the deep veins.

The great saphenous vein is also the most common source of varicose veins in the body;  pooling in branches of the GSV resulting from weakened vein valves leads to the formation of varicose veins visible throughout the leg.

It’s important to point out that while the GSV is the longest vein in your body, it’s not the only saphenous vein found in your legs.  The second most common source of vein issues in the leg occurs in the  Small Saphenous vein. Although veins are large veins, the great and small saphenous veins are only responsible for returning roughly 2% of your blood from your legs to your heart

Upon completion of an endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT procedure, the vein is closed off and the blood in the vein is safely rerouted to other nearby veins without issue.

What To Expect During EVLT Procedure 

During an endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT procedure, the area around the vein is numbed prior to a small laser being inserted through a catheter and into the damaged vein.  Guided by an ultrasound device, the laser is correctly positioned then activated to create enough heat to safely encourage an occlusion that results in permanent scarring in and around the wall of the vein, ultimately forcing the vein to close and seal.

Upon completion of the endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT procedure, the laser and catheter are removed from your vein and the small incisions are closed with bandages.

Patients are encouraged to walk for at least 30-minutes immediately following the completion of an endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT procedure.  Patients also are often required to wear compression socks day and night for the first week and just during the day for the second week.  It’s common for most patients to experience minor localized bruising following endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT.

EVLT Cost

EVLT cost depends on the number of veins that need to be treated; in other words, it often depends on how many damaged veins are found in the legs. The cost of endovenous laser ablation treatment EVLT ranges from $1200 for Medicare and HMO insurance and $1700 for PPO insurance per vein treated. These costs will vary based on your deductible and out of pocket expenses owed.

EVLT Side Effects and Complications