As the medical director of Virginia Vein Care, Lawrence J. Markovitz, MD, focuses on minimally invasive treatments for vein disease. Lawrence Markovitz, MD, comes to this role with an in-depth knowledge of varicose veins and the many therapies available to treat the condition.

1. Minimally Invasive Varicose Vein
Ablation
Lawrence J. Markovitz MD

2. Introduction
 As the medical director of Virginia Vein Care, Lawrence
J. Markovitz, MD, focuses on minimally invasive
treatments for vein disease. Lawrence Markovitz, MD,
comes to this role with an in-depth knowledge of varicose
veins and the many therapies available to treat the
condition.
When blood is pushed back to the heart through the
veins, the upward flow has to work against gravity and
the weight of the body. Each leg vein contains a series of
one-way valves that are responsible for keeping the
blood moving in the correct direction.
Sometimes, however, these valves weaken and can no
longer prevent the backward flow of blood. This causes
the blood to pool in the leg and weakens the walls of the
veins, which can then lose elasticity and bulge outward.

3. Varicose Vein
 Endovenous laser treatment, or EVLT, allows a surgeon to
treat this condition without surgically removing the damaged
vein. The treatment requires the surgeon to make a small cut
in the skin, through which he or she passes a thin fiber into the
vein and then delivers a burst of concentrated light inside the
vessel.
As soon as the light energy passes into the vein, the surgeon
withdraws the fiber. The energy then reacts with the tissue of
the vein, so that the vein shrinks and ultimately closes. Once
this happens, the body naturally reroutes the blood through
other passageways.
EVLT is an outpatient procedure and typically requires only a
local anesthetic. In most cases, patients can walk away from
the procedure and can resume typical activity levels by the
end of the day.