NORTHERN ARIZONA VEIN CENTER
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my insurance cover treatment of spider veins?
Answer: Nearly all insurance plans consider spider veins to be cosmetic and are unlikely to pay for treatment. If a spider vein has recurrent episodes of bleeding, insurance plans may cover treatment.
Download a pdf of our contracted insurance plan list
Are varicose veins dangerous?
Answer: Some patients may live for decades with varicose veins and remain problem and pain free. Others may have pain, clotting, ulceration, or bleeding caused by their varicose veins. Many patients and even some medical professionals worry that clots in varicose veins may travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) and cause death. Although clots do form more frequently in varicose veins, these clots typically cause superficial thrombophlebitis and only in a small percentage of patients do these clots propagate into the deep venous system, causing a deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Patients may experience life threatening bleeding from a varicose vein, but this bleeding is easily controlled by simple pressure to the bleeding site, or elevation of the leg above the level of the heart. Stasis changes and ulceration due to venous reflux is a problem that is very difficult to deal with and often consumes considerable expense, time, and treatment at wound centers in an effort to get these ulcers to heal.
"How do you determine if I have venous reflux?"
Answer: The most accurate way to evaluate for venous reflux is to perform duplex ultrasonography--a risk free and painless measurement accomplished with sound waves. A clinical evaluation of reflux can also be accomplished by elevating a leg with varicose veins above the level of the heart and then applying tourniquet. A patient stands and releases the tourniquet. If veins below the tourniquet rapidly fill with the release of the tourniquet, then reflux is likely.
"What is duplex ultrasound?"
Duplex ultrasound combines traditional ultrasound with Doppler ultrasonography. Regular ultrasound uses sound waves that bounce off tissue and blood vessels to create pictures. Doppler ultrasound records sound waves reflecting off moving objects, such as blood, to measure their speed and the direction of flow. With a patient standing or sitting, duplex ultrasound can determine if flow in the veins is heading toward the heart (normal) or toward the feet (reflux).
How is duplex ultrasonography performed?
The exam will likely begin with you lying on a table, but will also
require that you sit or stand for part of the exam. The ultrasound technician will spread gel over the area being tested. The gel helps the transmission of sound waves into your tissues. A wand, called a
transducer, is moved over the area being tested. This wand sends out the sound waves. A computer measures the reflecting sound waves, and changes the patterns into images which will be displayed on a flat panel screen. Blood can be depicted as either red or blue, depending on which direction it is flowing. The technician will likely squeeze your calf to make the blood flow in your veins. The Doppler may create a "swishing" sound, which is the sound of blood flowing through your arteries and veins.
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Why Choose Us?
- We create a customized treatment plan that best suits you
- Minimally invasive, office based procedures
- Clinically proven
- Fast and mild recovery
- Covered by most insurance plans
- NAVC is preferred by most local primary care providers (ask your doctor who they would recommend)
- Dr. Schilperoort is a board certified surgeon
VNUS Closure Procedure Videos
What are varicose veins?
Answer to what are varicose veins
What causes varicose veins?
Answer to what causes varicose veins
What is venous reflux?
Answer to what is venous reflux
Who develops varicose veins?
Answer to who develops varicose veins
What are the complications of varicose veins?
Answer to the complications of varicose veins
Can varicose veins be prevented?
Answer to prevention of varicose veins
What treatment options are available for varicose veins?
Answer to treatment options
What is recovery like after endovenous ablation of refluxing veins?
Answer for recovery after endovenous laser ablation
What are the risks associated with endovenous ablation?
Answer to the risks associated with endovenous ablation
How successful is endovenous ablation?
Answer to success with endovenous ablation
What are the alternatives to endovenous ablation?
Answer for the alternatives to endovenous ablation
Will treatment of varicose veins be covered by my insurance plan, or are varicose veins considered to be cosmetic?
Answer to the difference between cosmetic surgery and medical necessity.
What happens when varicose veins are removed or obliterated? Don't we need those veins for circulation?
Answer to Is the loss of varicose veins a problem?
What are spider veins?
Answer to what are spider veins
What are the symptoms of spider veins?
Answer to what are the symptoms of spider veins
How are spider veins treated?
Answer to how spider veins are treated