Prevention of Complications of Endovenous Laser Treatment

Abstract

Treatment of varicose vein disease should provide reliable exclusion of varicose veins from blood circulation, be minimally traumatic, ensure a satisfactory aesthetic effect as well as minimize side effects. The use of endovenous laser treatment allows achieving optimal results. Laser technology, however, may cause a number of complications, in particular segmental thrombophlebitis, ecchymosis, skin hyperpigmentation, neurological disorders, and paravasal burns. There are complications specific to laser treatment as well: during coagulation, multiple gas bubbles can be observed on the screen of the ultrasound machine, which are formed on the light guide face-end and enter the central venous system, pulmonary circulation and blood vessels of the brain through sapheno-femorale fistula. In the early postoperative period, most of the operated patients suffer from headache, dizziness, nausea, feeling of “heaviness” when breathing, and general weakness lasting for 6-7 days and affecting the normal course of the postoperative period. Thus, there has been suggested the method for preventing specific complications of endovenous laser treatment by active removal of laser coagulation products, which are formed at the working end of the light guide, in order to minimize the number of these products entering the central venous system through sapheno-femorale fistula and perforating veins (Application for an invention u201605586).  The task can be achieved by draining the coagulation zone and removing the products of vaporization and carbonization from the lumen of the vein through a drainage catheter, connected to the vacuum source. The implementation of the method allows preventing complications caused by the products of vaporization and photocoagulation, which can enter the pulmonary circulation and blood vessels of the brain through the venous system.