What are the advantages of EVLA?

EVLA has a number of advantages. These are:

  • It is performed using local anaesthetic.
  • The procedure can normally be done as an outpatient, taking 30- 45 minutes/leg.
  • You should be able to resume your normal activities straight away and two-thirds of patients return to work the following day.
  • It avoids the incisions (scars) required for a normal operation and therefore complications such as wound infection.
  • Patches of numbness on the skin which occur in 5-7% of patients having conventional surgery are rare.
  • Most patients have very little discomfort or pain after the procedure although some 15% develop inflammation in the treated vein which is uncomfortable and requires treatment (additional diclofenac or paracetamol) for up to a week following EVLA.
  • We do not know for certain if laser treatment will be better, as good, or worse than an operation in the long-term. However the main causes of further varicose veins developing after surgery are either failure to treat the correct vein or the growth of new veins in the groin. Both of these are much less likely to occur after laser therapy and thus the long-term results of EVLA are expected to be better than those for operative treatment. At the worst some veins may come back. If this happens either injection sclerotherapy, further laser treatment or surgery might be required.

The advantages over conventional surgery are summarised in the following table:

Conventional Surgery EVLA
  • In-patient treatment
  • General Anaesthetic
  • Multiple surgical incisions
  • Minor complications common
  • 2-6 weeks full recovery/return to work
  • 30% chance of further varicose veins
  • Out-patient treatment: "walk in-walk out"
  • Local Anaesthetic
  • No incisions
  • Minor complications rare
  • Normal activity and work in 2-3 days
  • Almost certainly a lower risk of further varicose veins