Phlebology, the Treatment of Veins

In Capital Clinic Riga you can find a number of excellent professionals who will help you to solve your vein problems by offering diagnostics with the most advanced medical technology and, if necessary, assign full range of operative treatment in VC4 Baltic Vein Clinic.

Specialists

• MD Ints Udris. Certified Surgeon, Vascular Surgeon, Phlebologist and Ultrasound specialist. Provides consultations, diagnostics and treatment, Duplex ultrasonography. Uses complex therapeutic methods for the treatment of venous insufficiency in accordance with the international standards and guidelines for venous disease treatment.

Due to various factors - both hereditary and life-style induced, nowadays many people experience problems and discomfort associated to their limb (mostly leg, but also hand) vascular problems. The good news is that due to medical science and technology development, the vein treatment has become more convenient and comfortable, without invasive operations and the need for a long stay in hospital. There is a significant decrease in the length of the post-operative recovery period.

Although many people do not have visible veins problems nor experience any symptoms, very often deep vein problems can be found. Therefore it recommended to occasionally check your vein health, even if the complains are not pronounced (especially for those people, who work involves prolonged sitting and / or standing). In order to achieve the desired results, select the most appropriate solution for the vein problem and ensure the effectiveness of treatment, it is important to make an accurate diagnosis. By starting the vein health examination and initiating the treatment on time it is possible to prevent the development of the disease, because often the first signs of venous disease as well as hidden forms of vein varicose cannot be seen without proper medical examination equipment.

There are several vein examination methods, but the gold standard is considered Duplex Ultrasound Scan. This examination in our clinic is carried out with the latest generation Philips ultrasound device EPIQ 7 - the most compact and the "greenest" premium device in today's medical equipment market.

With the help of the latest generation ultrasound equipment it is possible to make a very clear vein and artery examination and gather objective examination data. 2 types of probes are used during the examination - A/S 12 for deep vein examination and A/S 18 for fine vein examination and their physiological function determination. As EPIQ 7 ultrasound device is very convenient for use, it significantly simplifies the work for the doctors, allowing to use the examination and consultation time more efficiently. EPIQ 7 Ultrasound device is equipped with automatic program schedules to improve the examination speed - automatic adjustment of the blood flow and the touch-screen technology allows the doctor to make the diagnosis easy, fast an most of all - accurate.

Dr. George Jabbour: "EPIQ 7 is an excellent device. Powerful and at the same time very simple. This device is a dream for every ultrasound specialist."

Dr. Kaspars Stepanovs: "EPIQ5 and EPIQ7 are by far the best ultrasound devices with which I have worked with!"

About the veins

The vascular system of the legs is composed of two types of blood vessels:

• arteries which deliver oxygen-enriched blood to the legs and ensures tissue nourishment and function.

• veins which brings the "spent" blood back to the heart and lungs, where they again can be restored with oxygen.

Metaphorically it can be compared to home water supply system. The arteries are like water pipes thinner in diameter, but a large pressure of blood flow, because the heart muscle pumps the blood into them with a great force. For this reason, blood clots do not usually form in the arteries of a healthy person and the blood flow is intact. Veins are like pipes with a large diameter where the blood flow is slower and land the blood pressure is lower.

The blood is pumped towards the heart mainly by the lower leg muscles, but there is also the force of the gravity that works against the power of this lower leg muscle pump. To overcome the force of the gravity and for the blood to flow up and finally away from the legs, the help of bicuspid valves which are located in leg veins approximately every 10 cm is needed. These valves allow the blood to flow towards the heart and blocks the blood flow towards the feet. If the valve are damaged or the vein walls have stretched the venous blood begins to flow in the wrong direction. This wrong flow of the blood is medically known as venous reflux. If the regurgitation is longer than 3 seconds it is considered that the valve is completely damaged. It is the major cause of chronic venous insufficiency.

We have a superficial and deep vein system in our legs:

• Deep vein system is formed of veins that we cannot see, bet they are the main veins as they provide about 85% of the return flow of the blood from the legs.

• The veins that we can see are called superficial veins and we can see their damage in form of varicose vein formations.

There are two main superficial veins - the long (VSM) and the short (NAP) trunk vein. If the valves in these veins do not work properly, then the venous pressure increases in these vein branches and the veins blow up looking like balloons, which is medically known as vein varicose. The deep and the superficial venous systems are connected by perforator veins. The damage of these perforator veins is often to be blamed for the development of venous varicose ulcers.