HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – An estimated 25 million Americans suffer from venous reflux disease, a condition that leads to varicose veins.
"These are not the small spider veins, these are the large, ropy veins that run down the legs," said Dr. Susan Fox, a vascular specialist with Memorial Healthcare System.
Fox is working with a new device called Clarivein that simplifies the process of treating varicose veins.
"This is great for moms with busy schedules and people who go to work because they can go back to work that same day," Fox said.
Previous minimally invasive treatments required 10 to 12 injections of numbing solution.
The Clarivein process involves just one injection and through the same needle, the device is threaded through a catheter into the vein.
The device itself looks like a tiny rotor-rooter attached to a stiff fishing line.
"It spins around and it creates almost a tornado effect in the vein to displace the blood. As the blood gets displaced, we inject a solution from the handle into the vein and this closes the vein down," Fox said.
Ester Ackerstein went through the procedure in just 15 minutes.
"It's so nice now to be able to wear shorts and not be so self conscious about how my legs look," she said.
To reach Fox call:954-965-4900