“Is radiofrequency ablation for varicose veins done with anesthesia?”
I will have radiofrequency ablation for varicose veins. Is radiofrequency ablation for varicose veins done with anesthesia?
4 Answers
Depends where you are treated. For example, in our practice you are given moderate sedation by a nurse. Other practices in the Memphis area do not use sedation/anesthesia and only use local anesthetic. This is an important question to ask at your vein consultation.
This procedure CAN be done with sedation. The surgeon will often infiltrate in the tissues around the vein with large volumes of dilute local anesthesia called "tumescent analgesia." This provides analgesia god enough so that sedation may not be necessary.
Usually its done under general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia is another option
Frequently it is since the probe reaches very high temperatures. We do sometimes use local only with the anesthetic injected into the subcutaneous fat.
