What is it?
Cyanoacrylate (Venablock) Glue is a recent innovation in modern varicose vein treatment. The medical grade adhesive glue is delivered to the varicose veins via direct needle injections or a soft catheter. VenaBlock Glue is an alternative to surgical stripping of varicose veins. It is less invasive and associated with minimal downtime and complications. It is often used in conjunction with ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS). VenaBlock Glue is best for very large stem-veins whereas UGS is best for the smaller branch-veins. Treating incompetent veins may limit and reverse varicose vein complications such as leg swelling, itch, pain, skin darkening (pigmentation), eczema, hardening of the skin (lipodermatosclerosis) and end-ulceration. VenaBlock Glue involves a combination of adhesive glue to seal larger veins (near the groin) under ultrasound technology and does not require admission to hospital or general anaesthesia.
What happens during Cyanoacrylate (Venablock) Glue?
Please wear comfortable clothing and the treatment will require exposure of the legs (underwear to be kept
on). Your treated leg(s) will be cleaned with a special skin antiseptic. Ultrasound is used to locate the abnormal vein and the VenaBlock Glue is placed within the most dilated bit of the varicose vein (either near the groin or upper calf) either by direct needle injection or via soft catheter. Immediately after the glue is delivered into the vein, firm compression (hand pressure by the sonographer) is applied over the site of VenaBlock Glue for up to 1 minute to ensure adhesive closure of the vein. The firm compression may be slightly uncomfortable and there will be a moderate ‘hot’ sensation lasting 1–2 minutes when the VenaBlock Glue comes into contact with the inner lining of the vein. Effective closure of the varicose vein may require 3–4 point injections of VenaBlock Glue in the affected vein. When the VenaBlock Glue injections are completed, the doctor will perform additional Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy (UGFS) on the remaining network of incompetent (abnormal) veins. If you have an extensive network of incompetent (abnormal) veins, additional UGFS may need to be undertaken the following week to complete the treatment. Compression stockings will be applied to the treated leg after the procedure.
What is the difference between Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) and Venablock Glue?
Unlike Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA), VenaBlock Glue does not use heat to destroy the vein, instead it
uses a glue injected through a needle or soft hollow catheter to stick the vein walls together, and close it down. Because no heat is involved it doesn’t require the injection of local anaesthetic along the length of the vein
being treated, and there is no risk of heat injuring the nerves in the lower calf.