Quick Fix

The 23rd Annual Meeting of the Eastern Vascular Society was abuzz with the news about the encouraging initial results from clinical trials with a new treatment for varicose veins. Steve Elias MD FACS FACPh, who is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York as well as the Director of The Centers for Vein Disease at Mount Sinai and Englewood Hospitals, reported on study results for the ClariVein catheter. ClariVein is exciting because it can be performed in a doctor's office.

Acting as principal investigator for the clinical trials on ClariVein, Dr. Elias is carrying out the studies at the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey. A total of 30 patients are participating in the IRB-regulated (institutional review board) trial. ClariVein uses a combination of both mechanical and chemical means to treat varicose veins.

Success Rates

Dr. Elias has shared the news that initial results for ClariVein were encouraging and the success rates over time for those treated with the ClariVein catheter remain excellent. In fact, says Dr. Elias, the success rates for this treatment are the equal of the early results that were attained with radiofrequency or laser treatment when used to treat great saphenous vein disease. ClariVein is a treatment that spares the patient discomfort and time, since it doesn't involve tumescence anesthesia infusion. The treatment may also be less costly since it requires no generator, thus sparing capital and maintenance costs. Dr. Elias says, "This in-office procedure takes about 15 minutes to perform and patients resume normal activity that day. All patients would recommend the procedure to others."

Non-Invasive Methods

The ClariVein catheter is the brainchild of Vascular Insights LLC, located in Madison, Connecticut. This company focuses on designing, developing, manufacturing, and marketing medical devices that treat peripheral vascular disease in methods that are as non-invasive as possible. Vascular Insights has already obtained 510 (k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put ClariVein on the market as a vehicle by which physicians might infuse treatment agents in peripheral veins.

Attractive Option

John Marano, CEO of Vascular Insights states, “The simplicity of the [ClariVein] approach makes it an attractive option for the estimated 30 to 50 million varicose vein sufferers in the US who currently do not seek treatment.”

It is estimated that some 75-150 million North Americans and Western Europeans suffer from varicose veins.