Trinity Health will hold a screening clinic for varicose veins on Jan. 26, from 1 to 5 p.m., at Trinity’s Advanced Imaging Center, located at Town & Country Center, 1015 South Broadway in Minot.

Jake Naidu, DO, an interventional radiologist with Trinity Health, says the clinic will look for signs of chronic leg pain, “whether it be varicose veins, skin color changes, swelling or ulcers.”

Varicose veins, while a cosmetic concern, can also cause aching pain and discomfort, as well as more serious issues. The veins, which on the outside appear enlarged and unsightly, are overfilled with blood.

“The blood in these veins begins to pool, and symptoms develop,” Naidu says. Symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency vary and can include: swelling, pain, dull heaviness or cramping of the legs, itching, varicose veins, or skin color changes. More severely, ulcers that don’t heal can develop.

If left untreated, varicose veins can also lead to chronic venous insufficiency, which involves the impairment of blood flow in the veins.

“It’s a very common thing that people suffer from,” Naidu says. “The public should be more aware of the options they have to get treated.”

Up to 40 percent of the United States population, the majority being women and people in middle-age or older, are affected by chronic venous insufficiency.

“When we do our screening, which takes about

15 minutes, it’s clinical, rather than diagnostic,” Naidu says. Based on the history and physical examination, Naidu can determine whether further evaluation is needed to evaluate for chronic venous insufficiency with ultrasound. The ultrasound, Naidu notes, is the diagnostic part of the screening as it can confirm the patient has chronic venous insufficiency.

Should participants in the screening clinic match the criteria, Naidu will suggest treatment options.

Options are available to treat this, including:

Stab phlebectomy – a technique in which several tiny incisions are made in the skin through which the varicosed vein is removed.

Radio frequency ablation – A probe is placed in the vein and heat is used to destroy the vein. This is a more modern version of vein stripping, which was a painful process. “Radio frequency ablation is a lot more efficient and not as painful,” Naidu says. “We can do it without any sedation. We do it when the patients are awake. The heat itself will destroy the wall of the vein and scar it down to the point where it disappears.” This procedure is similar to laser, but it has more benefits, such as a faster recovery, as well as less pain, Naidu says.

“While chronic venous insufficiency is not life threatening by any means, it can interfere with the activity of daily living,” Naidu says. It can lead to more chronic pain, skin changes (such as thickening of skin) and swelling. “The worst case scenario is that you develop ulcers in the legs that won’t heal.”

Trinity Health has offered vein clinics like these for the past three years. Naidu says that, in the past, they have had fairly good outcomes, and he looks forward to taking care of more people, especially as chronic venous insufficiency is a more common issue than he originally thought.

Appointments are required. For an appointment, call the Trinity Health Radiology scheduling line at 857-3220.