How many varicose vein surgeries were performed in the U. S. from 1995
to the present?

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Request for Question Clarification by umiat-ga on 12 Sep 2003 07:32 PDT

liz72-ga,
 
 What kind of varicose vein surgery? Do you mean all types of surgery,
including physically removing the veins, injections to destroy or
shrink them, or laser methods?

 umiat

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Clarification of Question by liz72-ga on 12 Sep 2003 08:43 PDT

Vein stripping
Vein laser treatments
Vein VNUS Closure treatments
Ambulatory phlebechtomy
Ultrasound guided sclerotherapy
Vein ligation
Perferator vein surgery

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Request for Question Clarification by umiat-ga on 12 Sep 2003 09:16 PDT

liz72-ga,

 I am sure I cannot get statistics for each specific procedure back to
1995.
I have already found that the ASAPS and the American Society of
Plastic Surgeons only have statistics on Laser leg therapy and
Sclerotherapy back to 1998. Statistics for those procedures were not
compiled before then.
 I have not explored the other specific procedures yet. However, in
the event that I cannot find specific numbers for EACH procedure back
to 1995, do you still want an answer including the figures I CAN find?
 Please let me know how to proceed and what you are willing to accept
concerning years and statistics.
 Thanks.

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Clarification of Question by liz72-ga on 12 Sep 2003 10:30 PDT

Yes, thank you. Whatever information you can find would be greatly
appreciated. Plastic surgeons are the least qualified to be doing
these procedures. Varicose veins are a vascular problem.
Dermatologists do venous surgery.

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Request for Question Clarification by umiat-ga on 13 Sep 2003 10:08 PDT

liz72-ga,

 I have to be honest with you. I have run the gamut searching most
every nook and cranny, and have found incomplete data to fully answer
your question. I even enlisted the services of a University health
sciences librarian, who then had to enlist the help of
others.....Between all of us, we have only come up with only bits and
pieces.

* I currently have the numbers for laser treatment and sclerotherapy
from 1998-2002.

* I have the one and only accurate government data report which
combines inpatient and ambulatory "Litigation and Stripping of
Varicose Veins" for 1996. I have the same governmet report from 1995
which lists a much smaller number of procedures because it includes
only Inpatient Data.

* After 1996, these procedures were no longer listed seperately, but
lumped in with a jumble of other miscellaneous cardiovascular
procedures so the numbers are relatively meaningless (unless you would
like me to include them).

* I also have figures for Varicose Vein Stripping procedures from
another health research agency for 1997-2001, which, again, includes
ONLY Inpatient data, consequently providing a much smaller number.
Ambulatory Report summaries by year from the government reports
conveniently leave out Vein Surgery techniques.

 I have searched numerous medical, vascular and dermatological
organizations for any type of statistics or references to numbers
relating to Perferator vein surgery, Vein VNUS Closure treatments and
Ambulatory phlebechtomy. While there is a lot of information
concerning the techniques, successes and failures.....there are no
annual statistics.

 Therefore, I am still asking you whether you want the information I
have found ( and will still continue to look for ) until I hear from
you. You also have the option of changing the price of this question
to reflect what you feel it is worth with only partial information.

 Please let me know your wishes.

 umiat

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Clarification of Question by liz72-ga on 13 Sep 2003 13:22 PDT

Thank you so much for all of your work. I really appreciate all of
your efforts and the diffulty of the task.

The sclero. & laser figures will be fine. The 1997-2001 stripping
figures will be interesting.

Yes, I will be happy to have whatever information you have found. The
pricing seems fine. You have spent a lot of time on this. We would
like to work with you again.

Best,

Elisabeth Bergan

Hello, liz!

 Thank you for your patience and your willingness to work within the
limitations of the material I have found. I wish I could have found
more for you! I hope the following will help. If I do manage to find
more relevant information I will certainly add it in a clarification.


============================================
2003 STATISTICS FOR TOTAL LEG VEIN TREATMENT
============================================

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery has compiled TOTAL leg
vein treatment statistics for 2003:

Vein treatment:
 
2003* -  331,979 Vein Treatment Procedures 

* Preliminary data not adjusted for standard error; based on 2340 ASDS
members

Refer to "DERMATOLOGIC SURGEONS REPORT 11% INCREASE IN SKIN SURGERY
PROCEDURES PERFORMED IN 2003 COMPARED TO 2001."
http://www.asds-net.org/ProcStats0603.html 



==============================================================
1998 - 2002 STATISTICS FOR LASER TREATMENT AND SCLEROTHERAPY
===============================================================

The following references were used to compile statistics for plastic
surgery procedures:

American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
Statistics were first compiled starting in 1997 by ASAPS
http://surgery.org/press/ASAPS1999Stats.pdf

"2000/2001/2002 National Plastic Surgery Statistics."American Society
of Plastic Surgeons
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=6113


Laser Treatment of leg veins
============================

2002	107,155
2001	157,151
2000 	245,424
1999	 93,517
1998	 57,850


Sclerotherapy
=============


2002	511,827
2001	616,879
2000	866,555
1999    414,797	
1998    349,748





========================================
LIGATION AND STRIPPING OF VARICOSE VEINS 
========================================
(ICD Code Number - 38.5)


1995
=====
From Table 4. Number of all-listed procedures for discharges from
short-stay hospitals, by IDS-9-code, sex and age of patient, and
geographic region of hospital: United States 1995
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_130.pdf

(Notice - this number is so low because if provides only inpatient
data)

	
1995	9,000 * 

(* This number does not meet standard of reliablity or precision) 
   Procedure can be found under code 38.5 on page 128 of 153	




1996 - This is the most comprehensive number found for all ligation
procedures
=====

From - Table 9. Number of amubulatory and inpatient procedures by
procedure category and location
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hdasd/13_139t9.pdf

1996	53,000    

(listed under "Operations on the Cardiovascular System")


1997 - 2002
===========
This procedure is no longer included in the National Hospital
Discharge Summary Reports.

Ambulatory procedure reports for the last several years also do not
include varicose vein ligtion procedures.

CDC National Center for Health Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/





=============================================================
INPATIENT STATISTICS FOR 1997-2001 - VARICOSE VEIN STRIPPING
=============================================================

(To find this data involves a rather complex navigation process which
I will describe at the end of this list of references !!! )


* Data from the Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality does
contain annual numbers for Varicose Vein Stripping, but they are
INPATIENT numbers only.

* This makes for quite an innacurate overall number since ambulatory
data is not available.


From Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project
http://www.ahrq.gov/data/hcup/hcupnet.htm

53 - Varicose vein stripping, lower limb - Total number of discharges

1997    3,303 
--------------
Weighted national estimates from HCUP Nationwide * Inpatient * Sample
(NIS), 1997, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), based
on data collected by individual states and provided to AHRQ by the
states. Total number of weighted discharges in the U.S. based on HCUP
NIS = 35,406,187. Note that no significance testing for differences is
provided. Values based on 70 or fewer unweighted cases are not
reliable and have been suppressed (designated with an asterisk*).


 
1998	2,809
---------------
Weighted national estimates from HCUP Nationwide * Inpatient * Sample
(NIS), 1998, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), based
on data collected by individual states and provided to AHRQ by the
states. Total number of weighted discharges in the U.S. based on HCUP
NIS = 34,874,001. Note that no significance testing for differences is
provided. Values based on 70 or fewer unweighted cases are not
reliable and have been suppressed (designated with an asterisk*).



1999	2,628
--------------
Weighted national estimates from HCUP Nationwide * Inpatient * Sample
(NIS), 1999, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), based
on data collected by individual states and provided to AHRQ by the
states. Total number of weighted discharges in the U.S. based on HCUP
NIS = 35,467,673. Note that no significance testing for differences is
provided. Values based on 70 or fewer unweighted cases are not
reliable and have been suppressed (designated with an asterisk*).



2000	2,240
--------------
Weighted national estimates from HCUP Nationwide * Inpatient * Sample
(NIS), 2000, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), based
on data collected by individual states and provided to AHRQ by the
states. Total number of weighted discharges in the U.S. based on HCUP
NIS = 36,417,565. Note that no significance testing for differences is
provided. Values based on 70 or fewer unweighted cases are not
reliable and have been suppressed (designated with an asterisk*).

 

2001	2,297
-------------
Weighted national estimates from HCUP Nationwide * Inpatient * Sample
(NIS), 2001, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), based
on data collected by individual states and provided to AHRQ by the
states. Total number of weighted discharges in the U.S. based on HCUP
NIS = 37,187,641. Note that no significance testing for differences is
provided. Values based on 70 or fewer unweighted cases are not
reliable and have been suppressed (designated with an asterisk*).



To find the data collected above:
==================================

 Go to "Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project"
http://www.ahrq.gov/data/hcup/hcupnet.htm

From this page, click on "Start HCUPNET
On next page, click on tab for "National Statistics"
You will see a series of reports highlighted from 1997-2001.
Click on any year (for example, 1997 National Statistics)
Click in the circle for "Procedures" and hit Next
Click on "Principle Procedure" (the first circle) and hit Next
Scroll down to highlight "Procedure on Cardiovascular System" and hit
Next
Scroll down to highlight "Varicose Vein stripping - lower limb" and
hit Next
Click circle for "Number of Discharges" and hit "Next"  
Click by "Age groups" and hit Next
Ignore next page and hit Next

Voila!!!! There is your data!

Unfortunately, you must start back at the beginning for each year.

==

Sites Visited for Information:

CDC National Center for Health Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/#state%20data 

Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality
http://www.ahrq.gov

Vascular Web
http://www.vascularweb.org/

Society for Vascular Ultrasound
http://www.svunet.org/

American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
http://www.aboutskinsurgery.org/

American Medical Association
http://www.ama-assn.org/

American Association for Vascular Surgery
http://aavs.vascularweb.org/

American Academy of Dermatology
http://www.aad.org/

Other resource links
http://www.allmedexchange.com/medical_spec/Vascular/Vas_Surgery.shtml#vascular

==

 I would love to work with you again if you are so inclined. If you
choose to address a question to me in the future, simply include "for
Umiat" in the title and I will be sure to see it. Or, if you prefer,
you can simply leave the question open for another researcher.

 Thank you once again for your extreme patience. A good customer
always stands out from the crowd!

umiat-ga

SEARCH STRATEGY
varicose veins
varicose vein surgery
varicose vein surgery annual statistics
varicose vein surgeries per year
perforator vein ligation
ambulatory phlebectomy
vascular surgery statistics
perforator vein surgery	statistics
Vein VNUS Closure treatments 
dermatological operations
annual statistics and vein ligation
perforator vein ligation performed annually US	
varicose perforator vein surgery annually US
annual statistics AND vein ligation
vascular surgeries per year

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Clarification of Answer by umiat-ga on 13 Sep 2003 14:47 PDT

Sorry! It never fails that those numbers do not seem to line up once
they are posted. They always look perfect until I hit the answer
button!

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Request for Answer Clarification by liz72-ga on 13 Sep 2003 15:37 PDT

Again, thank you! You really did come up with a tremendoes amount of
imformation. The search itself is most revealing. I will direct the
next question to at umiat-ga on this site.

Best, 

Liz

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Clarification of Answer by umiat-ga on 13 Sep 2003 16:52 PDT

Thank you!

Superb job of researching a complicated, poorly reported, and obscure
topic. He pursued every thread and found an extraordinary amount of
excellent data. Thank you!

Thank you for such kind comments and a very generous tip!
umiat