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Modern varicose vein treatments are done with ultrasound guidance
INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY AND NONSURGICAL VARICOSE VEIN TREATMENTS
In the last 50 years, interventional radiology has been the pioneer of many innovative non-surgical treatments in medicine. Because of this innovative spirit, non-surgical varicose vein treatments were first adopted and widely used by interventional radiologists. These treatments have experienced resistance for a long time by the doctors who performed the old varicose vein surgery. However, because of the large difference between patient comfort, safety and outcomes of classic surgery and new nonsurgical methods, this resistance did not work and new treatments have largely replaced old varicose vein surgery in all developed countries in a short period of 10-15 years. So much so that even surgeons who once resisted such treatments began to work hard to learn these new methods all over the world.
The following features make interventional radiologists more advantageous in varicose veins treatments over other physicians.
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Diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of varicose veins are now performed by using color Doppler ultrasonography, and it is unlikely that a physician who is not familiar with ultrasound can manage varicose vein patients well. Interventional radiologists use color Doppler ultrasound during both 4-year radiology residency and at every stage of later professional life. Therefore, it is not possible for other physicians to compte with the experience of interventional radiologists on the use of color Doppler.
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In addition to the use of color Doppler ultrasound, interventional radiologists have a high level of experience in image-guided therapies particularly in ultrasound-guided interventions (biopsy, tumor ablation, etc.), because they perform these procedures at every stage of their professional lives. Therefore, this experience for ultrasound-guided interventions allows interventional radiologists to treat varicose perfectly and easily.
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However, interventional radiologists need to address varicose veins as a whole like a clinician, become more interested in the clinical aspect of the disease, and develop themselves in the treatment methods they are not very familiar with, such as miniflebectomy and microsclerotherapy. Interventional radiologists who cover these deficiencies will become the ideal group of physicians in the treatment of varicose veins.
