Traditionally, refluxing veins are dealt with by stripping. This requires a cut in the groin, the tributaries of the long saphenous vein have to be carefully identified, clamped, cut and tied and finally a long instrument with a head on it called a stripper is passed down the vein (or at least the surgeon hopes since he is often doing this part of the procedure blind – see below for explanation).

The tip of the stripper is retrieved through another incision usually in the upper calf and it is then pulled downwards thereby avulsing the vein from its track. It is as, it sounds, a destructive and rather brutal procedure but up until now there has been no other effective means of dealing adequately with a major refluxing vein.

The VNUS technique requires no groin incision, there is no need to strip the vein and therefore there is no painful strip track. This is reflected in the recovery period. Compared to traditional stripping, patients treated with VNUS recover far more rapidly in days as opposed to weeks.