What is Radiofrequency Ablation?
Radiofrequency (RF) endovenous ablation is a minimally invasive treatment procedure for venous reflux disease, using radiofrequency to heat and seal diseased great saphenous and perforator veins and address the underlying cause of severe varicose veins. The VNUS ClosureFAST™ catheter for the treatment of venous reflux delivers radiofrequency energy to a heating element to heat and contract the collagen within the vein walls and cause the shrinkage and collapse of the vessel.
The procedure involves inserting the catheter into the diseased vein through a very small incision and threading the device through the vessel up to the groin area. Radiofrequency waves are applied to the heating element in 20-second intervals to sequentially heat and ablate the vein in seven centimeter increments. After each segment is treated, the ClosureFAST catheter is manually withdrawn down the vein and the process is repeated until the entire length of the vein has been ablated. The body automatically re-routes blood flow through healthier veins, and the restoration of normal circulation relieves the distention of the surface veins. The ablated vein becomes scar tissue and is eventually absorbed by the body.
In Vitro Study
Above is an infrared thermal camera image of the ClosureFAST catheter heating a vein inside a block of tissue. Note uniformity and limited depth of heating; temperature decreases from 95o C to 43o C at 1.5mm radial distance from intima.
Tissue Thermal Ablation Pattern of ClosureFAST versus Laser
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What
Doctors are saying...
I prefer the new RF device to the older laser catheter because the laser operates at a higher temperatures - almost 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit - and that can be traumatic to the tissues, causing pain and bruising. RF operates at much lower temperature and it's far more comfortable for the patient. Both are effective, but the latest studies of the ClosureFAST device give it the edge in my book.
- Dr. John Carabello
(Tulsa, OK)
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