If previous varicose vein treatment has been ineffective, a phlebectomy procedure may be the best course of action for you. To be sure, your doctor will perform a vascular ultrasound to determine whether the vein in question is a good candidate for the vein-stripping procedure. If the vein is found to be unresponsive, your doctor will recommend phlebectomy surgery to manually remove the varicose vein from your leg. This vein removal surgery can be relatively simple, depending on the size and location of the vein, as well as the type of phlebectomy procedure that is required.
Your vascular surgeon will perform your phlebectomy procedure by applying local anesthesia, making a series of small cuts along the surface of your leg, and then carefully pulling the vein out through these tiny incisions using a special tool. Most phlebectomy patients find the procedure minimally invasive, with only minor discomfort. Since there are several types of phlebectomy, recovery time can range from virtually nonexistent to more extensive.
Ambulatory phlebectomy is an outpatient procedure that removes superficial veins from the surface of the skin on your leg. Ambulatory phlebectomy requires no stitches and minimal local anesthesia, and the patient is able to walk as soon as the procedure is completed.
On the other hand, micro-phlebectomy, a more extensive phlebectomy procedure involving veins that were too large to respond to sclerotherapy or laser treatments, may require several days of recovery including wrapping the legs with elastic bandages.
