Spider Veins Associated With Saphenous Insufficiency- Dr. Bush responds to Dr. Fitzgibbons

Last Updated: 5/12/2011

Responses

The lateral subdermal reticular plexus is not associated with saphenous insufficiency. If you scan the lateral reticular vein very carefully, many times you will find a perforator. This perforator is usually in the upper portion of the thigh and connects to the femoral vein. This is usually only apparent when the vein is > than 3mm in diameter. For those patients that only have spider veins without other symptoms and associated saphenous insufficiency, I will treat their spider veins. If the spider veins do not clear, then I will discuss endovenous ablation with the patient. Submitted by Ron Bush MD, FACS - 5/12/2011

I have a growing cosmetic practice and see many patients with spider veins and reflux in the GSV or SSV. Most commonly the reflux is mild and the GSV and SSV are small. Sometimes however the reflux is moderate or severe. Do you ever just treat the spider veins, and the reticular feeding veins, counseling the patient that recurrence will be more comon? I especially wonder about this when the patient''s major complaint is the lateral thigh telangiectasia (Albanese).