What is the difference between ELAS, EVLT – Varicose Vein Treatment, and ELVeS?
Not much. Lasers that can close the saphenous vein are diode lasers that fall in the narrow ranges 810 to 980nM of the infrared electromagnetic spectrum. Each company that has developed a laser for this purpose has tacked its own acronym on the procedure. From what I can tell, they all work about the same. The only difference comes when you take the same laser and aim it at spiders and other tiny veins. Here a difference of only 20nM can make a huge difference in the relative absorption of energy by hemoglobin, water, and other skin pigments. The Dornier 940 laser is more powerful than the other two lasers, and has superior results on small spider veins.
Commercial lasers approved for saphenous vein closure are diode lasers that have a wavelength between 810 and 1470 nM in the infrared electromagnetic spectrum. Early lasers targeted blood, which made a lot of sense at the time. The laser would heat the blood which in turn would heat the vein and seal it. Regrettably, this procedure frequently produced severe post-procedure pain. With time, it became evident that targeting water would also close the saphenous vein with less than half the power. Current lasers with a wavelength greater than 1000 nM, such as the ThermaLite 1470 are virtually pain-free because they target water primarily. Each laser manufacturer that introduced a new laser for saphenous vein closure tacked its own proprietary acronym on the procedure. All lasers do the job well, with the only difference being the frequency of experiencing post-procedure pain.
