Ambulatory phlebectomy using the tumescent technique for local anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory phlebectomy is a cosmetically elegant procedure that provides outpatient office-based surgical removal of large truncal varicose veins. The process of local anesthetic infiltration using traditional means is a time-consuming process that can be painful, and carries with it the inherent risk of accidental intravascular injection.

OBJECTIVE: To introduce the tumescent technique for local anesthesia as it relates to the procedure of ambulatory phlebectomy and discuss the benefits of this form of anesthesia.

METHODS: A description of the technique utilizing a dilute anesthetic solution, an injection syringe, and blunt-tipped anesthetic probe is provided.

RESULTS: Using the tumescent technique for local anesthesia, large areas can be anesthetized quickly, safely, effectively, and relatively painlessly, offering multiple advantages over simple local infiltration, and eliminating the need for regional or general anesthesia.

CONCLUSION: The authors consider the tumescent anesthesia technique to be highly effective and an important adjunct to the procedure of ambulatory phlebectomy.