My guest today was Mr Sabu Jacob, Consultant General Surgeon at Spire Hartswood Hospital. Mr Jacob qualified in 1986 and has many years experience working in King Georges Hospital, Queens Hospital and within his private practices in Essex and East London. He specialises in vascular surgery and was talking about varicose veins.

Varicose veins are swollen and enlarged veins, usually blue or purple in colour. They may also be lumpy, bulging or

twisted in appearance. They are usually in the legs.

Other symptoms include aching, heavy and uncomfortable legs, swollen feet and ankles and muscle cramp in the legs.

Mr Jacob specialises in the VNUS Closure procedure which is the least invasive and easiest procedure to perform, causing minimal or no damage to the surrounding areas. The procedure is a minimally invasive treatment for superficial venous reflux. A thin catheter is inserted into the vein through a small opening, through which radiofrequency (RF) energy is delivered to the vein wall, causing it to heat, collapse and seal shut.

Since valves can’t be repaired, the only alternative is to re-route blood flow through healthy veins. Traditionally, this has been done by surgically removing (stripping) the troublesome vein from the leg. The VNUS Closure procedure provides a less invasive alternative to vein stripping by simply closing the problem vein instead. Once the diseased vein is closed, other healthy veins take over and empty blood from the legs.

This treatment is successful for the removal of all varicose veins, but because it is considered more of a cosmetic procedure is not normally available on the NHS. To find out more about the treatment contact Spire Hartswood Hospital and arrange an appointment with Mr Jacob in his Tuesday morning surgery on 01277 266761.