Venous reflux is the root cause of varicose veins, uncomfortable leg swelling, and even leg ulcers. Treatment has evolved greatly over the last two decades. The older procedure of vein stripping, in which the saphenous vein is surgically removed from the leg, is no longer performed. A patient with venous reflux of the superficial veins, namely the greater or lesser saphenous veins,may be treated by a procedudre called ablation, which seals off the vein by heating it from within. Elimination of vein reflux can alleviate the symptoms of venous disease, speed healing of venous stasis ulcers and eliminate visible varicose veins . The procedure is completed in our office under local anesthetic in under one hour.  In this procedure, a small catheter is inserted into the problematic vein using ultrasound guidance. A local anesthetic solution (tumescent) is then injected around the vein to be treated preventing heat injury to surround tissues and rendering the procedure painless. The catheter is then heated with radiofrequency (microwave) energy, causing the vein to close off completely. The leg is then wrapped with a compression bandage which stays on for 3 days. Recovery time is fairly short, and most patients return to normal activity within two days.