The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

University of Iowa leaps ahead in vein treatment

University+of+Iowa+leaps+ahead+in+vein+treatment

New minimally invasive treatments have been introduced by physicians at the University of Iowa Vein Center.

By Vivian Le

[email protected]

For people with venous disease, pain has the ability to become an obstacle in everyday life.

At the University of Iowa Vein Center, physicians and health-care professionals are hoping to ease the stress of patients with venous disease through new treatment options.

The Vein Center hosted an open house at the UI Health Care Iowa River Landing to introduce new, minimally invasive treatments Tuesday night.

Wanting to educate people more about vein disease, the center offered screenings in which participants met with a vascular surgeon for quick visual exams, followed by a question-and-answer session with physicians.

“Fifteen to 20 percent of the population suffers from some sort of venous disease from disorders as simple and cosmetic as spider veins to varicose veins,” said Valerie Larkin, the UI Health Care marketing manager. “For years, the only treatment options available for patients were compression stockings to help with the pain or surgery.”

According to uihealthcare.org, venous disease includes varicose veins and spider veins, which form when vein walls and valves deteriorate and become swollen and enlarged. In some cases, venous disease can cause blood clots and ulcers.

People more susceptible to varicose veins are usually older in age, and women are also more likely to have venous disease than men, according to the website.

UI Clinical Assistant Professor Luigi Pascarella, a vascular surgeon at the Vein Center, works with these new treatments, one of which is VenaSeal.

“We are trying to achieve a minimally invasive way to treat the disease,” he said. “VenaSeal is a new technology designed to essentially take care of varicose veins by injecting medical glue to collapse the vein. In the past, we were essentially performing vein stripping, which was real surgery with groin incisions and leg incisions. Patients were in pain and bruised.”

Teresa Bozer, who visited the open house Tuesday to receive a screening, said she began noticing the development of spider veins on her leg at the age of 15.

“It continues to grow; they’re starting to bulge,” she said. “There are times where I’m actually aware of them. Before, it never bothered me, but now I’m starting to have some sensation with it. Not pain but sometimes a little achy because of it.”

Bozer said her career as a teacher required her to stand for long periods of time, and that might be a contributing factor to her varicose veins.

“Some of the patients, they cannot run. They cannot do the things that they want to do,” Pascarella said. “The goal is to allow everybody to have a full life without varicose veins.”

With constant change in technology, Larkin said, treatments are becoming more advanced and less painful, and they have a shorter recovery, so patients can get back to daily activities.

“There’s no reason in this day and age to suffer with either painful varicose veins, or unsightly ones, or any sort of venous problems,” she said. “There are a lot treatments out there … It’s important to get educated and get treatment as soon as you can.”

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