With no hospital stay (treatment time is often less than an hour), using ultrasound for guidance, and local anesthesia, venous insufficiency is eliminated using a thin laser fiber that is inserted through a micro-puncture into the target vein that leaves no scarring.

Following the local anesthetic, our Interventional Radiologist inserts a thin catheter (no thicker than a strand of light wool) that allows passage of the laser through the incompetent vein. Guided by ultrasound, once the tiny laser probe is in position, it is activated to heat the vein and to seal it closed permanently. The point of entry is a micro-puncture (a small needle in the skin) that should leave no post-operative scar.

 

Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) is also known as endovenous laser treatment (EVLT). The two terms are interchangeable and refer to the same treatment.