SHARJAH: Zulekha Hospital is offering the latest Endovenus Laser Treatment (ELT) for varicose veins to permanently alleviate the discomfort caused to patients by this common condition that has a growing prevalence in the UAE.

Worldwide, it is estimated that around 20% of all adults get varicose veins at some point in their lives, according to the US National Library of Medicine. Although prevalent in older people, if untreated at an early stage the condition can cause painful and debilitating effects from swelling in the legs.

Zulekha Hospital has successfully treated a number of patients with the minimally invasive and painless ELT which can be completed in 30 minutes to an hour without any reoccurrence of the condition. Patients can be admitted as out-patients for the procedure and walk out of hospital within the same day.

Forty-one-year-old Islam Gul Hakeem Khan was treated at Zulekha Hospital Sharjah after his mobility was increasingly being affected by aggravated pain in his legs. He was diagnosed by Specialist General Surgeon Dr Priya Devadas with multiple dilated veins in his right and left lower limbs who recommended and successfully performed ELT with assistance from Radiologist Dr Sonali Mathur and Dr Dhanashri Samadhan Patil.

Dr Devadas explains, “Previously, surgeons used the open Trendelenburg procedure to treat varicose veins where an incision is made on the thigh and the complete vein is removed. It can be painful and required the patient to be in hospital for one or two days.

“Now, with the latest ELT we are able to treat the veins with this minimally invasive painless procedure that can be done as an out-patient surgery. It is great to see the instant relief felt by patients like Mr Khan who had been suffering such great discomfort from varicose veins.”

In women, it is most commonly noticed that the first occurrence of varicose veins is during pregnancy. In a recent case at Zulekha Hospital Sharjah, a 35-year-old woman was successfully treated with ELT after she suffered varicose veins following four pregnancies.

The condition can also be a combination of two factors, hormone-related changes in the body’s tissue and weight gain which makes it harder for the blood in the leg veins to flow back to the heart properly. In some patients, being overweight also increases pressure on the legs and veins, which can increase the risk of varicose veins.

In the ultrasound-guided ELT a catheter bearing a laser fibre is inserted under ultrasound guidance into the great saphenous vein (GSV) or small saphenous vein (SSV) through a small puncture and the vein is obliterated. ELT is also used to treat haemorrhoids, fistula, and the pilonidal sinus disease. Very rare complications may include Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).