Treatments

Information for the public

The vascular service team should offer you a treatment called endothermal ablation, if it is suitable for you. During this treatment heat is applied to the inside of the vein, causing it to close. See Other NICE guidance for details of our guidance on endothermal ablation.

If endothermal ablation is not suitable for you, you should be offered a treatment called ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy, if it is suitable for you. This treatment uses a chemical called a sclerosant, which is mixed with air or another gas to produce a foam. The foam is injected into the vein. Ultrasound pictures are used to check that the foam is going to the right places in the vein. The sclerosant in the foam causes scarring inside the vein, which closes it. See Other NICE guidance for details of our guidance on ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy.

If neither endothermal ablation nor ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy are suitable for you, you should be offered surgery. This is usually a type of surgery called ligation and stripping, in which the varicose vein is tied off and then removed.

If you are offered compression bandages or stockings to wear temporarily after having treatment for varicose veins, you should not wear them for more than 7 days. Compression bandages and stockings are specially designed to squeeze your legs to help improve the blood flow after treatment.

You should not be offered compression stockings to wear permanently as a way of treating your varicose veins unless none of the other treatments are suitable for you.