Radiofrequency treatment of varicose veins

The treatment of superficial venous insufficiency has progressed considerably over the last few years. Traditional stripping has slowly given way to less invasive techniques which may sometimes be carried out in the angiologist or surgeon's consulting rooms. Radio frequency treatment of varicose veins with a specific catheter consists of delivering thermal energy to the endothelial surface of the vein leading to its obliteration. Progressively, the fibrotic lesion becomes organised and occludes the lumen. The patient can return to normal activities after one to three days depending on whether the procedure is performed under local or loco-regional anaesthesia. Improved catheter technique has reduced the incidence of complications to a minimum. The medium term results of radio frequency ablation have been shown to be excellent in a number of studies.