Los Angeles Surgeon Offers Free Varicose Vein Ultrasound Screening During the Month of December.

Dr. Michael Richman and The Elite Laser Vein Center in West Los Angeles is offering a free ultrasound screening for varicose veins on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 10th, 11th and 12th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Initial screenings are available by appointment only at the Elite Laser Vein Center's office on Sawtelle and LaGrange, between Olympic and Santa Monica Blvd. To make an appointment, call Emma at 310-481-3939.

Varicose veins are the bluish, rope-like blood vessels that bulge just beneath the skin of the legs. They affect more than 40 million people in the United States, including about 25 percent of women and 15 percent of men. An ultrasound is a painless imaging technique used by doctors and technicians to diagnose vein “reflux” where the blood flow of the vein is going the wrong way.

Dr. Michael Richman – a board-certified cardiothoracic/general surgeon is concerned that many people are not aware of the potentially dangerous side of untreated venous reflux. Symptoms of Venous Disease (reflux) include leg fatigue, ankle swelling, itching, throbbing, leg restlessness, ultimately leading to varicose veins and possibly venous ulceration.

As a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and an active member in the American College of Phlebology, Dr. Richman stresses that oftentimes people view varicose veins strictly as a “cosmetic” issue, and are not aware that the pain and swelling associated with this can alter their activities of daily living. “It’s important that patients get the correct information so they can be properly diagnosed and offered the correct procedure to definitively take care of their specific problem. It’s imperative that anyone with bulging veins get an ultrasound by a vein specialist, I personally perform all my duplex ultrasound exams on all my patients. They should also know that because Venous Reflux Disease is a medical condition, and not necessarily just a cosmetic problem, many of the procedures are covered by Medicare and private insurance companies.”

The Elite Laser Vein Center treats patients with Venous Reflux using Endovenous Laser Ablation – a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure under local anesthesia that replaces “vein stripping”, or surgical ligation of the greater saphenous vein. There is minimal discomfort and often patients can return to work on the same day and may resume their full schedule within a couple of days.

The Elite Laser Vein Center offers a state-of-the-art surgical facility and is under the medical direction of Michael F. Richman, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.C.C.P Dr. Richman is a Diplomate in the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, a fellow in the American College of Surgeons and a fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Richman was listed by the Consumers’ Research Council of America as a Top Surgeon in the annual “Guide to America’s Top Surgeons” for the years 2002-2003. Dr. Richman has been performing Endovenous procedures (spider vein and varicose vein removal) at The Elite Laser Vein Center since 2005.

Serving West Los Angeles with two locations, The Elite Laser Vein Center is at 1950 W. Sawtelle Blvd., Suite 145, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (between Santa Monica and Olympic) and at 462 N. Linden Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. The website is www.elitevein.com.