FREDERICKSBURG, Va., March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Treatments for varicose veins and spider veins have advanced significantly in recent years. Most patients can be treated as outpatients and return to everyday activities within hours. Yet the qualifications of physicians providing vein treatments play an important role in patient outcomes, said Dr. R. Donald Doherty, Jr., board certified interventional radiologist with Virginia Interventional & Vascular Associates (VIVA).

Physicians who have completed fellowships in interventional radiology or vascular surgery, which are vascular-related specialties, are uniquely qualified to diagnose underlying vascular conditions that cause varicose veins and spider veins. They can assess which treatments are best for specific patients, and perform the appropriate interventions, Dr. Doherty explained.

Varicose Veins – VIVA's most frequently recommended varicose vein treatments are endovenous laser treatment (EVLT™) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which use laser or radiofrequency energy to close off affected veins. Both are one-hour outpatient treatments with a high reported success rate.

Spider Veins – VIVA physicians treat most cases of spider veins and selected varicose veins with sclerotherapy, a brief outpatient procedure that shrinks the blood vessel. In August 2010, VIVA physicians began using Asclera® injections for sclerotherapy, following approval by the US Food and Drug Administration based on its positive safety and cosmetic profile. "Early results are great," Dr. Doherty reported. "My patients and I have been much happier with the cosmetic results following spider vein treatments with the new drug."

VIVA is the interventional radiology and vascular surgery practice of Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg.  For more information about VIVA's vein treatments, visit www.imagingway.com/veins or call (540) 654-9118.

SOURCE Virginia Interventional & Vascular Associates

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http://www.vivassociates.com