Vascular surgeon Dominic Dodd on varicose veins

'Unlike conventional surgery, EndoVenous Laser Treatment (EVLT is available privately or on the NHS) doesn't require a general anaesthetic. The treatment appears to be just as effective and patients are well again within days. We use ultrasound to see whether patients are suitable for the laser treatment. Patients get bruising in the first week [after surgery], but this has usually gone by their follow-up appointment four to six weeks later. The bruising is much less than after conventional surgery.'
Mr Dominic Dodd, Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the Sheffield Vascular Institute and the Thornbury Hospital