Vascular & Interventional Centre (VIC) To Offer Cryo-Laser and Cryo-Sclerotherapy (CLaCS) for Treatment of Varicose Veins
Vascular & Interventional Centre (VIC), a Singapore-based vascular clinic with a full-suite day surgery centre at Novena Specialist Centre, has become the first vascular clinic to offer Cryo-Laser and Cryo-Sclerotherapy treatment for varicose vein patients in Singapore. With this offer, VIC will have a holistic and comprehensive vein programme for its patients.
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Abbreviated as CLaCS, this is a new, advanced treatment for varicose veins which combines transdermal laser and injection sclerotherapy, performed with cold air blown onto the skin at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
CLaCS was created by Dr. Roberto Kasuo Miyake in 2002, to meet his patients' requests for spider/reticular vein treatments that leave behind minimal scarring and pigmentation.
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Dr Benjamin Chua, Medical Director of VIC, said, “We are very excited to announce that the Vascular & Interventional Centre is able to offer this new and advanced treatment for spider/reticular and varicose veins in Singapore. This is part of VIC’s ongoing mission to provide the latest treatments and most advanced techniques that medicine has to offer, for the benefit of our patients.”
The new CLaCS technique’s main advantages are seen to be its efficacy for the treatment of spider veins and prominent veins, with little discomfort from the treatment, due to the cold air that is directed at the site of the minimally-invasive laser or needle application.
If found suitable for the procedure, patients with spider/reticular veins will receive their CLaCS treatments under the expert hands of Dr. Benjamin Chua (Medical Director and Senior Consultant Vascular Surgeon) and Dr. Manesh Taneja (Director and Consultant, Vascular and Interventional Radiology), using Augmented Reality, in a fully equipped day surgery centre at VIC’s third and largest flagship clinic, which is centrally located at Novena Specialist Centre.
Dr. Chua explained, “Spider and reticular veins commonly present as unsightly patches of blood vessels in the legs of patients. Aside from the unsightly aesthetics, many patients experience pain and swelling as well as spontaneous bleeding and bruising from these veins.”
“Development of spider/reticular veins may happen if you are overweight, stand for long periods of time, have had multiple pregnancies or have a family history of varicose veins.”
Apart from being unsightly, they may also indicate the presence of more severe varicose veins or venous reflux disease of the legs and pelvis (Pelvic Congestion Syndrome).
According to Dr. Chua, patients with spider/reticular veins and varicose veins should get treated before the condition progresses.
“If left untreated, varicose veins may result in ulcers on the skin surface. The ulcers may get infected, resulting in circulatory and skin problems in the legs.” said Dr. Chua.
During the procedure, a transdermal laser is fired into the vein, causing the vein interior to decrease in size. A chemical sclerosant (a solution which irritates the vessel) is injected into the veins, causing the veins to close off, shrink and eventually disappear. The entire procedure is done under extreme skin cooling (via an air stream at minus 20 degrees Celsius) for maximum patient comfort, and the procedure is suitable for spider veins, as patients experience minimal scarring and pigmentation.
The procedure can take from about 15 minutes to an hour to perform, depending on the complexity of the varicose veins. Patients will be able to return to their daily activities anywhere from a few days to a week, as compared to a few weeks recovery for conventional treatment.
