Service
Varicose vein surgery
Varicose vein surgery removes a vein whose valves no longer work, so that blood collects in it. Depending on the findings, either the main vein and its branches are surgically removed, or sclerotherapy is done — an injection that closes smaller veins and thread veins without an incision.
Varicose veins in the legs
Visible, twisting veins on the lower or upper leg, heaviness and swelling of the legs towards evening, sometimes cramps at night. The veins of the legs return blood towards the heart with the help of valves; when the valves weaken, blood collects in the vein, the vein widens and becomes visible under the skin. Most often it is an inherited weakness of the vein wall, made worse by long periods of standing or sitting, pregnancies and body weight. Creams and stockings ease the symptoms, but the veins do not go away.
When is it urgent, and when can it wait?
Get in touch straight away if a vein has become hard, red and painful to the touch (an inflamed vein with a clot), if a varicose vein bleeds, or if a wound that does not heal has appeared on the lower leg. Sudden swelling of one leg with pain in the calf is a reason for the emergency service, not for waiting for an examination.
It is best to come to the examination without cream on your legs and to bring any earlier ultrasound results you have.
How is it done?
Before the procedure the veins are marked on the skin using ultrasound, while you stand. Through a small incision in the groin or behind the knee, the main surface vein is tied off where it joins the deep vein and then pulled out (crossectomy with stripping). Branches that can be seen under the skin are removed through punctures of a few millimetres, with no stitches or with a single stitch (miniphlebectomy). After the procedure the leg is bandaged, or a compression stocking is put on straight away and you walk with it the same day.
When the valves of the main vein work and only the branches are dilated, only miniphlebectomy or sclerotherapy is done. What will be done is decided by the ultrasound examination, not by appearance.
Sclerotherapy
A substance that irritates the vein wall is injected into the vein with a fine needle; the vein sticks together and over a few weeks shrinks into a thin cord that the body breaks down. A liquid is used for smaller veins and a foam for larger ones. It is done in the outpatient room and most often repeated in two to three sessions, because only a limited number of veins is treated at once. After sclerotherapy a compression stocking is worn and you walk straight away. Recovery profile C applies to the operation; after sclerotherapy you go home straight away.
When is the procedure not suitable?
The procedure is postponed or not done with active thrombosis or inflammation of a vein (that is treated first), in pregnancy and during breastfeeding, with untreated disease of the leg arteries, with inflammation or a wound on the skin at the site of the procedure, and when the general condition does not allow anaesthesia.
General reasons for postponing a procedure (pregnancy, breastfeeding, inflammation, a clotting disorder, smoking): When is a procedure postponed?
Anaesthesia
Before a procedure under general or regional anaesthesia, you are seen by the anaesthetist, who works full time at the clinic; the same doctor is also present during the procedure. The anaesthetic assessment and the anaesthesia for larger operations are included in the price of the procedure. What happens before, during and after anaesthesia is described on the Anaesthesia page.
Recovery
You walk the same day, and walking is part of the treatment. A compression stocking is worn on average for two to four weeks. Long periods of standing and of sitting without moving are avoided, and the legs are raised when you are resting.
Risks
Expected — bruising and tenderness along the vein, hard cords under the skin, a tired feeling in the leg for the first days.
Occasional — temporarily reduced sensation of the skin beside the incision, brown pigmentation of the skin over a sclerosed vein that fades over months, inflammation of a surface vein.
Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?
Price
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Varicose vein surgery | on request |
| Sclerotherapy of varicose veins | on request |
The price depends on the extent of the procedure and is set at the examination.
Specialist and team
Specialty: general surgery.
When the procedure is done under sedation or general anaesthesia, the anaesthesia is led by a specialist in anaesthesiology, resuscitation and intensive care who works full time at the clinic.
In the operating theatre, the surgeon is assisted by head nurse Martina Šereg, with the help of nurses Kristina Jurešić and Mateja Tomorad, and in recovery the care assistant Mirjana Kovačić is with you. Martina also looks after preparation, scheduling and contact after the procedure.
Who will operate is decided at the examination, based on the findings and the type of procedure. You know the name of the surgeon before the procedure and meet them at the examination.
What happens at the examination?
The first examination lasts 30 to 45 minutes on average. The surgeon examines the area you are concerned about, asks about illnesses, medicines, allergies and previous operations, and talks with you about what you expect. If the procedure is appropriate and likely to help, you receive a plan: which procedure is proposed, under which anaesthesia, what recovery looks like and what is included in the price. If the procedure is not needed or would not give you what you expect, you will hear that at the examination too.
What if the result is not as agreed?
The result of a procedure is assessed at a follow-up visit, once the swelling has gone down and the scar has matured, not in the first weeks. If it differs from what was agreed at the examination, the same surgeon carries out the correction.
→ Poliklinika Barbel's correction policy
Frequently asked questions
Will there be scars? The incision in the groin or behind the knee is a few centimetres long and fades with time; the punctures for the branches leave pinpoint marks that in most people become barely visible.
Can both legs be done at once? Often yes, depending on the extent and the type of anaesthesia.
What if the veins come back? A vein that has been removed does not return, but over the years other veins can dilate.
Do varicose veins have to be operated on? Not always. Veins that do not bother you and cause no symptoms can be monitored. The procedure is recommended when there are symptoms, vein inflammation, changes in the skin, or when the appearance bothers you.
Can varicose veins disappear by themselves? No. The valves do not recover, so a vein that has once dilated stays that way or gets bigger over the years. Veins from pregnancy are an exception, because some of them recede after childbirth — which is why no operation is done in pregnancy, and the decision about a procedure waits for a few months after childbirth and breastfeeding.
Are thread veins on the legs the same as varicose veins? They are the smallest form of the same problem. Thread veins are removed by sclerotherapy, without an operation; if there is a larger vein behind them that does not work, that one is dealt with first.
Does removing varicose veins harm circulation? No. A dilated vein is no longer doing its job, and after removal the blood goes through the deep veins, as before.
How much does the result depend on care after the procedure? The larger the procedure, the more it depends on it, but it always does. Healing takes weeks and months and happens almost entirely at home, so the instructions you receive when you go home, about the wound, physical activity and the scar, are part of the procedure, not a recommendation.
Medical review: doctors of Poliklinika Barbel · October 2026.