Kailua Physicians Treating Varicose Veins

Drs. Maria Markarian and Sonny Wong at their clinic. Photo courtesy of Vein Center at Windward Heart.

Varicose veins aren’t just unsightly, they’re often a source of pain and, left untreated, can lead to infection in the legs.

A new Kailua facility is ready to help. Doctors Sonny Wong and Maria Markarian opened the Vein Center at Windward Heart six months ago at 25 Maluniu Ave., Suite 201.

Both are board certified cardiologists with years of experience in treating blood vessel problems, as well as heart disease and other heart ailments.

“Varicose veins can cause swelling, leg pain, and some patients bleed spontaneously because of the dilation of the veins,” said Wong. “You also can get superficial blood clots in these veins, as well as infection, which is called phlebitis. So there’s a whole range of symptoms.”

There are deep veins in the legs, responsible for carrying 90 percent of the blood to the heart, as well as superficial veins, which lie close to the skin and circulate the remaining blood to the heart.

Varicose veins are formed when the valves in those superficial veins don’t function properly.

“You get a back flow of blood, particularly when you’re standing,” Wong explained, “and over a long period of time this leads to the dilation of the superficial veins which end up as varicose veins.

“Some people suffer from chronic lower leg pain, particularly as you get up and walk around throughout the day.”

The Vein Center gives free initial evaluations using an ultrasound to check for these leaky veins or venous reflux. Insurance covers varicose vein treatment, a process called intravenous endo-vascular laser ablation.

Treatment involves passing a laser fiber into the vein and heating the vein from the inside, causing it to collapse. Once the vein higher in the leg collapses, the connected veins that branch out below it dry up as well, eliminating the pain and unsightliness of the veins.

Wong and Markarian also treat spider veins, which are not only cosmetically unappealing but can also cause venous reflux, leading to pain, swelling and bleeding.

For more information about evaluations or treatment, visit windwardheart.com/veins or call 261-8346.