Venaseal™ is a modern non-surgical treatment that uses a medical adhesive to treat varicose veins.
The glue is made from cyanoacrylate and it is a safe, medical grade adhesive that is used to “glue” the large saphenous vein in the thigh shut. As the medical superglue sets within minutes, there is a faster healing process that is sometimes associated with other treatments.
How does Venaseal™ work?
Venaseal™ or ‘superglue’ treatment by Sapheon is the latest surgery free procedure that uses a medical adhesive to safely and effectively treat varicose veins. Unlike other treatments, Venaseal™ does not require local anaesthetic around the vein, so there is usually only one local anaesthetic injection. The Venaseal™ non surgical treatment procedure also eliminates the use of heat (or thermal energy) so there is virtually no risk of nerve or skin injury or any major reaction to the anaesthetic. As the medical ‘superglue’ sets within a few minutes, there is not the prolonged healing process associated with ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy and medical stockings are not required afterwards. There are no necessary steps or precautions to take before or after the procedure and no restrictions on travel. In some instances additional treatment will be required with ultrasound guided sclerotherapy.
What can I expect during the procedure?
The procedure is in some ways similar to sclerotherapy and endovenous therapy in that duplex ultrasound is used to precisely guide a tiny catheter into the varicose vein to introduce the sealant. Once the vein is sealed, it will gradually harden and be reabsorbed by the body and disappear from view. Patients can return to their normal activities right away as there is no recovery period needed, and walking is encouraged to speed healing. And, unlike with some of the heat-based therapies, there is no risk of burns or nerve damage with the use of medical super glue. You also are not likely to need to wear compression stockings after the procedure. Results so far show an excellent success rate, and any additional, surface varicose veins can be treated a few weeks after the medical superglue procedure with either sclerotherapy or other treatments.
All treatments will require a medical consultation. Like all medical procedures some risks do exist. The benefits and minor risks will be discussed during your first consultation before treatment with one of our doctors.
Benefits at a Glance
- No downtime.
- Pain rating is minimal.
- Recovery time is minimal with no time of work needed.
- Does not require a general anaesthetic.
- Walk in Walk out.
- Can be performed in 20minutes.
- No stocking required after treatment
Process.
STEP / 01
Initial Consultations
After your consultation a special transilluminating light will be used to highlight the “feeding veins”.
STEP / 02
Scans & Treatments
After your scan medical superglue will be used to seal your varicose veins. A bandaid will be applied afterwards.
STEP / 03
Post Treatment Recovery
You can leave our clinic with no restrictions on lifestyle and no stocking.
Have questions about Medical Superglue treatment?
We have listed some of our most asked questions to the right. If you would like to speak to someone please contact us on 1300 535 017 or make an appointment.
After adequate imaging almost any straight vein between 4mm and 16mm can be treated with the Venaseal procedure. Up to 5 straight veins can be treated at any one time.
A number of studies have suggested that Venaseal has a greater than 92% success rate over 5 years which is equivalent to gold standard treatment with endovenous laser ablation or radiofrequency ablation.
Recent short term studies have suggested that the closure rate at 3 months is greater than 96%.
All patients at The Vein Institute have follow up scans at six weeks to ensure that your procedure has been effective.
Surgery is not more effective than Venaseal treatment.
Arrive at our clinic on time. No preparation is required such as fasting or stopping medications.
After your scan you will lie comfortably on the treatment bed. For those who are a little anxious Valium can be requested. Alternatively you may listen to music on your iPod or phone. You favourite music can also be requested on our stereo system (please let our reception staff know in advance).
The doctor will then prepare your leg for treatment before using a tiny amount of local anaesthetic to numb the access point for the procedure.
Your varicose vein is then accessed with the tiny amounts of glue being deposited alongs it’s length. A bandaid is then applied to the insertion site. There is usually no need for any compression stockings and you can return to work as normal.
It’s extremely uncommon for patients to experience significant pain during the procedure or after.
Yes all patients will require a follow up visit within 3 weeks after Venaseal treatment during which another scan is performed to make sure the treatment has worked. Sides branch veins may be treated with ultrasound guided sclerotherapy at this time if necessary.
The treated vein which is faulty is sealed. Blood which was leaking from it can not longer do so which helps your circulation system and stops the aching and throbbing experienced with varicose veins.
In 10% of cases some soreness after the procedure can be experienced which usually settles with Nurofen in one week.
Extremely rarely you can have skin sensation being effected, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolus.
If there are any concerns after the procedure one of our doctors must be contacted.
Please call our office on 1300 535 017 to book a consult. No referral is required.
The Venaseal Story – A “Eureka” moment.
The idea to use “glue” to seal veins began like in so many other things with an idea. Dr Rod Raabe an interventional radiologist (a specialist in imaging procedures and interventions) had previous experience in using glue (cyanoacrylate) to close diseased arteries which have a much higher flow rate than varicose veins. After discussing the ideas with a few colleagues another 2.5 years was spent engineering a uniquely thick glue before approval was given for its use in the USA, Europe and Australia. The approval process required rigorous testing in multiple centres in the USA and Europe but was fast tracked owing to the active ingredient cyanoacrylate being used in medicine for fifty years.
