Reminder - OR-Live.com Presents: Live Laser Surgery From Morristown Memorial Hospital for the Treatment of Varicose Veins

Live Webcast April 22, 2005 2 pm EDT (1800 UTC)
MORRISTOWN, NJ -- 04/22/2005 -- Vascular surgeons at Morristown Memorial Hospital will perform a minimally invasive laser surgery technique to treat varicose veins live over the Internet April 22 at 2 p.m. eastern standard time. The procedure, a 980nm Laser Treatment of Varicose Veins, is named for the Venacure™ 980nm laser from AngioDynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGO) used in the treatment.

One of the first surgeons in the country to begin using minimally invasive procedures to treat varicose veins more than a decade ago, Lowell S. Kabnick, MD, who will be performing the surgery during the live broadcast, says laser treatment for varicose veins eliminates the need for traditional open surgery requiring a hospital stay. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis and is performed under local anesthesia. Prior to the laser technique patients would undergo saphenous vein stripping, a major surgical procedure that involves removal of the saphenous vein -- the largest surface vein in the legs.

During varicose vein ablation a small catheter is passed through the skin at the level of the knee under ultrasound guidance. The vein is then ablated with a small laser. Patients walk out of the procedure with supportive leg stockings, which they wear for approximately one week.

The procedure is usually indicated for people who suffer with symptomatic varicose veins, such as leg pain or leg swelling. It is also appropriate for those bothered by the appearance of unsightly varicose veins.

Approximately 80 million people in the United States have venous insufficiency, a condition in which the veins do not efficiently return blood from the lower limbs back to the heart. Most suffer no symptoms, but for the nearly 27 million people who experience problems such as pain and leg swelling, laser treatment of varicose veins, or vein ablation, offers a minimally invasive treatment option.

The procedure is the sixth surgery at the hospital to be aired live. Earlier webcasts include minimally invasive hip replacement surgery, heart bypass surgery, gastric bypass surgery, minimally invasive chest surgery and a carotid endarterectomy, a procedure to clear a blocked carotid artery.

Visit http://www.or-live.com/morristown/1287 now to learn more and view a program preview. A VNR is available at http://www.OR-Live.com/rams/ahs-1287-mkw-q.ram.

Contact Information

Lynette King Davis

Media Contact

Morristown Memorial Hospital

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