The Treatment of Saphenous Vein Occlusion by Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) with a 1064 nm VSP Nd:YAG Laser

This paper presents a study in which endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) of saphenous veins with a VSP Nd:YAG laser system (Fotona, Ljubljana, Slovenija) was conducted on 525 legs. The study was held at a single clinical site (Avelana vein clinic) over a 2.5 year period. The first 102 legs underwent EVLA at 15W to 18W average power, supplied from Nd:YAG laser. In the remaining 423 legs EVLA was administered at an average power of 25W. After 1 year, 88.2% of the veins in the 15-18W treatment group remained occluded; in the 25W treatment group 98.5% of the veins remained occluded. Side effects were minimal. All patients, even those whose veins were not fully ablated reported satisfaction with the treatment. The results of the study have lead us to conclude that the 1064 nm, VSP Nd:YAG laser is an effective and safe treatment modality for varicose veins.