As a consequence of this revolution in the management of vein disease, the American College of Phlebology was established, having as a goal the provision of knowledge and skills required for the use of new vein treatment technologies. In the year 2005, the American Medical Association, AMA, recognized phlebology as a separate self-designated specialty, the same as dermatology, vascular surgery, or any other recognized specialty. At present, Dr. John Mauriello, an anesthesiologist by his primary training, is the president-elect of the American College of Phlebology.

The differences between the VNUS closure procedure and EVLT are subtle. Both are endovenous in nature; meaning, varicose veins are accessed and treated from inside the veins. Whereas, the former uses a disposable catheter equipped with a radiofrequency (RF) generating electrode, the latter uses a reusable laser producing fiber. RF closure was first introduced in Europe in 1998 and was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 1999. Endovenous laser vein treatment was first described in 1999 and FDA approved in the year 2002. It should be noted that EVLT is a trademarked term and several other acronyms, such as EVLA and CTEV, are trademarked with claims that their laser fibers and wavelength result in less pain than others. Although many different radiofrequency ablation catheters are available for a variety of medical applications, the ClosureFAST catheter and ClosureRFS Stylet, manufactured by VNUS Medical Technologies, currently are the only commercially available and FDA approved systems designed for venous ablation.

» Read more: Insight Into VNUS Closure Procedure and EVLT – Two Revolutionary Vein Treatment Modalities