Varicose vein treatment at The Montefiore Hospital

At The Montefiore Hospital, we provide comprehensive private hospital care for our patients across Brighton and Sussex. Located in the heart of Hove, you can expect high-quality care and we’re extremely proud to be rated as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

If varicose veins are causing you pain or complications, or you’d like them removed for cosmetic reasons, we have a choice of consultants who can provide a treatment that’s personalised to your needs.

We offer fast access to consultations and treatments, in a clean, comfortable environment.

Your consultant will assess the condition of your varicose veins, your general health and your intended outcome in order to recommend the most appropriate treatment for you.

Our consultants offer a variety of treatments for varicose veins.

We offer the following procedures:

• Radiofrequency ablation (also called VNUS closure) – a probe inside a catheter is inserted into the affected vein and uses radiofrequency energy to heat and seal the vein
• Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (USGFS) – a special foam is injected into the affected vein which blocks it
• Ligation and stripping – a surgical procedure to remove the veins

Your consultant will explain the potential benefits and complications of each procedure before you decide to go ahead.

Finding us

The Montefiore Hospital is approximately a 15 minute walk or a five minute taxi journey from both Hove and Brighton railway stations.

Your consultation

Your initial consultation will be in one of our private consultation rooms. During your appointment, your consultant will ask questions about:

• Your reasons for wanting or needing treatment, such as symptoms or aesthetics
• Your health and medical history
• What you’d like to achieve through treatment

Your consultant will also explain:

• If you need to have further tests and scans to assess your condition
• Which treatment is best for you and what it involves
• The anaesthetic you’ll need and your expected recovery timeline

Before proceeding with your treatment, you may need to have a pre-operative assessment. This is to check your overall health and fitness before having surgery.

On the day

One of our nurses and your consultant will meet you on arrival and get you prepared for your treatment. You’ll then be taken to an operating theatre or a consulting room.

Where you’ll be treated depends on what treatment you’re having and what kind of anaesthetic you’ll need.

The procedure will take between 30 minutes to an hour but may be longer if you’re having a lot of veins and/or both legs treated.

Anaesthetic

The anaesthetic required varies depending on the procedure you’re having and your overall health. Most procedures are performed using local anaesthetic (so the area being treated will be numb). However, sometimes it may be necessary to have a general anaesthetic, for instance it’s often needed for ligation and stripping which is a surgical procedure for treating varicose veins.

After treatment

Usually, you can go home around two to four hours after your procedure. You’ll be taken to relax in a private room, our ward or our day care unit before going home when you’re ready.

However, you may require an overnight stay, particularly if you’ve had a general anaesthetic. If so, you’ll have your own, en-suite room which will have:

• TV
• En-suite
• Window
• Armchair

You can usually get back to your normal routine straight away after your treatment. However, if you’ve had ligation and stripping, or more veins treated, you may need to take a few days off work and rest. Your consultant may recommend compression stockings which can help improve blood flow while your body heals.

After two to six weeks, you’ll return to the hospital for a follow-up appointment so we can check that you’re recovering well and the treatment has worked.

Your recovery will be personal to you and you should always take your consultant’s advice. Here’s a typical recovery timeline as a guide: