I was privileged to attend the UIP 2013 congress in Boston last week. This is the biggest gathering of vein care specialists in the world. More than 1800 delegates attended lectures by over 300 world class speakers.

What was apparent is the fact that vein stripping surgery should be something of the past. Thermal ablation procedure like endovenous radio frequency and laser are the standard of care in most places worldwide. Foam sclerotherapy has drawn much attention. It is a excellent treatment option for many types of veins.

Radio-frequency ablation and ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy is currently a very good way of managing most vein patients. This has been validated by a number of studies presented this year.

There are many new treatment options on the horizon, like Venaseal by Sapheon which is a type of sterile superglue that is injected into the offending varicose vein. Clarivein is another new treatment method, where a rotating device damages the lining of the vein while glue is injected into the vein. It does not use any heat.

Steam vein sclerosis is a treatment method of injecting steam into the vein, unfortunately results have been poor after one year of follow-up.

The new treatment options would have to stand the test of time, before acceptance by most doctors. For now, thermal / heat ablation with radio frequency or laser are the best treatment for varicose veins.

During my stay in Boston, I was fortunate enough to meet world removed vein specialists Mark Whiteley from the UK,  Nick Morrison from Phoenix and Nicos Labropoulos. Mark founded the Whiteley Clinics in the UK and Nick is currently president of the UIP.

Johan Blignaut, Nicos Labropoulos

Johan Blignaut, Mark Whiteley

Nick Morrison, Joe Zygmunt, Johan Blignaut at UIP 2013 Boston

I invite you to use this blog and post your vein questions and comments.

Find out more about varicose veins and spider veins

Dr Johan Blignaut