Chronic Venous Insufficiency

Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition in which the leg veins do not allow enough blood to travel back to the heart. Valves in the deeper leg veins normally keep blood moving back toward the heart, but with chronic venous insufficiency, vein walls are weakened and valves are damaged. It is a long-term condition and often occurs when a vein is partly blocked or blood is leaking around the valves of the vein. Vein problems can cause blood to flow in both directions, prompting blood to pool in the legs. It is not a serious health threat, but it can be disabling and painful. The condition also can lead to venous stasis ulcers, in which the lack of circulation causes areas of the skin to die and open, or ulcerate, usually below the knees and most commonly around the ankles.

Whether you are looking for treatment for spider and varicose veins or a more complex vein problem, the UAB Vein Clinic offers comprehensive evaluation, specialized treatment, and compassionate care for the health of your veins.

As central Alabama’s premier comprehensive vein center, the UAB Vein Clinic provides state-of-the-art cosmetic, minimally invasive, and surgical treatments, performed by vascular specialists and medical experts who are specially trained in vein disease.

Located at UAB Hospital-Highlands, the clinic provides outpatient care, while more intensive treatments and vascular surgery are performed at UAB Hospital. The UAB Vein Clinic is part of the larger UAB Vein Program. As the only one of its kind in the state, the UAB Vein Program was created to care for a wide range of venous problems.

When you choose UAB Medicine to care for your vein condition, you gain immediate access to physicians and surgeons who are leaders in the most complex vascular conditions and offer the latest treatment options.

Vein Clinic
UAB Hospital-Highlands
1201 11th Avenue South
Birmingham, Alabama

Care Providers

Cora Passman, CRNP Endovascular Surgery, Vascular Surgery Marc Passman, MD Endovascular Surgery, Vascular Surgery

Resources

• Patient Forms & Information
• UAB Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
• Society for Vascular Surgery – Chronic Venous Insufficiency
• Healthy Veins
• Vascular Disease Foundation – Chronic Venous Insufficiency
• YouTube: PBS – National Medical Reporter Video – Compression
• American Venous Forum
• Vascular Cures

Related Specialties

• Vascular Disease
• Vein Clinic