Vein Disease

Arteries and veins carry blood to every area of your body. When these vessels become damaged, they can cause issues like pain, swelling and even more serious concerns. At MU Health Care, we have the region’s largest team of heart and vascular specialists to help treat and manage your vein disease.

As an academic health system, we offer many leading-edge treatments for vein disease that are not widely available at other centers. Options include interventional radiology techniques like laser ablation, as well as minimally invasive vascular surgery.

We use a team-based approach to diagnose and treat vein disease. Your care team may include:

Vascular surgeons: Use advanced techniques to repair your blood vessels to restore blood flow.
Interventional radiologists: Offer leading-edge treatments for deep vein thrombosis, chronic venous insufficiency and other vein issues.
Cardiothoracic surgeons: Surgically repair larger veins in the chest cavity.
Cardiologists and interventional cardiologists: Evaluate and treat many vein conditions.
Pulmonologists: Help treat blood clots that travel to the lungs.
Hematologists: Can help prevent future blood clots with blood thinners (anticoagulants).
Primary care providers: Oversee your overall medical plan and can recommend other specialists when needed.

Signs of Vein Disease

Symptoms vary depending on the type of vein disease. Some signs you may have a vein issue include:

Burning, stinging or aching pain in your legs after sitting or standing that gets better after elevating your legs
Itching near a visible vein
Visible, bulging veins
Discolored skin, sores or bleeding near the ankles and lower legs
Leg swelling that gets worse at night
Restless legs or leg cramping, especially at night

When to Get Emergency Care for Vein Disease

If you have severe pain, swelling or discoloration in one or both legs, go to an emergency room. These signs could mean you have a blood clot that requires immediate care.

Risk Factors for Vein Disease

You may be more likely to develop symptoms of vein disease if you:

Are middle-aged or older
Have a family history of varicose veins or other vein disease
Are female
Are overweight
Are pregnant
Sit or stand for long periods of time

How to See Our Vein Disease Specialists

If you’re concerned about your symptoms, talk to your primary care provider. They can refer you to our vein disease specialists for an evaluation. We also provide second opinions so you can understand your vein disease treatment options.

Types of Vein Disease

Some of the most common types of vein disease we treat are listed below.

Varicose Veins and Spider Veins

While spider veins tend to be small, web-like blood vessels under the skin, varicose veins are larger, rope-like vessels. Our vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists offer treatments for both issues.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)

Damaged veins can affect blood flow from your legs back to your heart, causing leg swelling and other symptoms. CVI treatments are available from vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists at MU Health Care.

Blood Clots

Our interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons routinely treat the following types of blood clots:

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): A serious blood clot usually in the leg that requires emergency treatment.
Superficial venous thrombosis (SVT): A clot in a vein close to the skin that is not as severe as DVT.
Pulmonary embolism: A clot that usually travels from the leg to the lung, also requiring emergency care.

Other Vein Issues

Other vein conditions we treat include:

Greater saphenous vein reflux: Occurs when blood in the leg flows backwards instead of returning to the heart.
Venous leg ulcers: Chronic sores on the legs caused by poor blood flow.
Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS): A group of symptoms including swelling and breathing issues caused by a narrowed or blocked chest vein.

How We Treat Vein Disease

MU Health Care offers a variety of nonsurgical and surgical options for treating vein disease. Treatments can help:

Reduce pain and inflammation
Improve your sleep
Help you be more active
Improve the appearance of veins
Remove or break up a blood clot

Noninvasive Vein Treatments

For many vein issues like CVI, we may recommend wearing knee-high compression socks during the daytime. We may also suggest lifestyle changes, such as elevating your legs, being more active and not smoking.

If you have SVT, your doctor may prescribe blood thinners to prevent the blood clot from becoming more severe.

To monitor your care, we’ll set up a schedule of follow-up appointments that fits your needs.

Minimally Invasive Options for Vein Disease

Our vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists can treat many vein issues through tiny skin punctures or small incisions, such as:

Phlebectomy: An outpatient procedure where a surgeon removes varicose veins through small skin incisions.
Radiofrequency or laser ablation: An outpatient procedure that uses heat to create scar tissue to close a vein.
VenaSeal: Involves inserting adhesive into varicose veins to seal them shut.
Sclerotherapy: An outpatient procedure where an interventional radiologist injects a solution to seal small and medium-sized veins.
Stents: Can be placed inside veins to keep them open and maintain blood flow.
Thrombolysis: Delivers clot-dissolving medicine through a catheter in your vein.
Thrombectomy devices: Can remove blood clots using devices delivered through catheters inserted into veins.
Venous ligation: A surgeon cuts and ties off vein through a small incision in the upper leg or groin.

Open Surgery for Vein Disease

For certain vein conditions like a serious pulmonary embolism, open (traditional) surgery may be the best option. Our experts can assemble the right team for whatever type of vascular surgery you may need.