Venous disease includes a number of conditions caused by diseased veins. In your body, veins keep blood flowing to your heart. When they are weak or damaged, blood can flow the wrong way, creating pressure in your veins. When that pressure builds, your veins may become swollen or stretched, slowing blood flow.

Types of venous disease include:

  • Chronic venous insufficiency
  • Spider veins: thin, blue flared veins
  • Varicose veins: wide, twisted veins that bulge on the surface
  • Venous malformations

Venous Disease Symptoms

  • Widened (dilated) veins: either spider or varicose veins
  • Swelling in the lower legs and ankles
  • Skin changes including redness, itching, dryness, oozing fluid, scaling, open sores from scratching and crusting or scabbing
  • Venous ulcer: open, non-healing sores on the shins and ankles

Venous Disease Diagnosis

Your physician will begin with a physical exam. Our diagnostic tools and techniques provide high-quality imaging to help physicians quickly diagnose venous disease. Your physician may recommend any of the following tests:

Venous Disease Treatment

Your doctor may prescribe one or more of the following treatment options, depending on the type of venous disease and your specific health needs:

  • Compression therapy: We provide compression socks, available with a prescription. These socks relieve the symptoms of venous disease and may even slow its progression.
  • Wound care: We offer comprehensive wound care services through our Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center.
  • Venous ablation: This minimally invasive procedure eliminates abnormal veins using a laser. This procedure requires only local anesthesia. Your physician inserts a catheter into the affected vein. The catheter delivers a laser that causes the targeted vein to collapse. Patients are able to return to normal activity shortly afterward.