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(Honesdale, April 18, 2009)…If you suffer from leg pain, swelling or varicose veins, a minimally invasive alternative to “vein stripping” is now available in Honesdale. George Tietjen, MD, FACS, a board-certified surgeon and Chief of Staff at Wayne Memorial Hospital is offering his patients the VNUS Closure procedure.  An outpatient procedure that typically involves only local anesthesia and sedation, most patients are able to resume their daily activities within 24 to 36 hours. 

      Many painful vein conditions are due to “venous reflux,” a disease that develops when valves in the veins become damaged and cannot help blood flow back to the heart. If left untreated, venous reflux can lead to skin ulcers, leg heaviness, fatigue, swelling, pain and more.

      In the VNUS Closure procedure, Dr. Tietjen treats venous reflux disease in superficial veins, the network located closest to the surface of the skin. A small catheter is inserted into the diseased vein through a tiny opening in the skin. The catheter, powered by radio-frequency energy, delivers heat to the vein wall. The wall shrinks or collapses and the vein is sealed closed as the catheter is withdrawn.

      “The Closure treatment involves destruction of a vein rather than ‘ripping’ it out, says Dr. Tietjen. “As a result, this procedure is more minimally invasive and far more cosmetic—there is little or no scarring, bruising or swelling.” 

      Dr. Tietjen has more than 30 years of practice in general and vascular surgery.  Trained at Rutgers University and the George Washington School of Medicine, he was Chief Resident and Chief Surgical Resident at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. He went on to complete a fellowship in vascular and transplantation at the same hospital, before coming to the Honesdale area. He has been at Wayne Memorial Hospital for more than two decades and recently completed full training for the VNUS Closure procedure.