What are problem blood vessels?
Problem blood vessels are “unusual blood vessels” that form in the area causes pain.
Recent studies found that there are not only normal blood vessels in human body that are essential to maintain our lives, but also problem blood vessels that causes disease.
Especially, chronic joint pains such as frozen shoulder, back pain, knee pain or other shoulder pain are recognized in many studies that they tend to have such problem blood vessels.
**Please also refer to the following article for more details.
So, why these problem blood vessels cause pain?
In fact, there is a basic rule in human body that blood vessels are increasing along with nerves. Thus, it has been found that the part where blood vessels increase always come with nerves, and these unnecessary nerves cause pain.
In addition, once this abnormal blood vessel occurs, it cannot be decreased easily. Therefore, it is very hard to heal with painkiller or poultice.
It has also been found that the abnormal blood vessel tends to form especially after the age of 40. However, even younger people tend to form the abnormal vessels in areas where they are repeatedly burdened by sports or work.
Injection to reduce problem blood vessels
One of the treatments to reduce problem blood vessels is an injection. This injection is different from “hyaluronic acid injections” or “block injection” which is commonly performed in plastic surgery and pain clinic. The difference is the area (target) where the injection is given. The contents (substance) of the injections are also different.
The injection that Okuno Clinic. provides is to target the abnormal blood vessel that causes pain. This is different concept from the conventional treatment such as X-rays and is a treatment that only specialist in problem blood vessels can do. It also uses substance that reduces the abnormal vessels.
For these reasons, it has a high analgesic effect unlike other common injections. The effect is not temporary, and more than 80% of our patients healed.
Nearly 3,000 people a year have already received this injection, and since there are no serious side effects, it can be offered as a safe treatment.
If you have never had an injection to reduce problem blood vessels, please consider trying this.
Catheterization treatment for problem blood vessels
The most distinctive feature of the treatment offered by Okuno Clinic. is the catheterization. Catheterization is a procedure in which a thin tube called catheter is inserted in a blood vessel to approach the affected area and repel the problem blood vessels. In English, it is called “Transcatheter Arterial Micro Embolization” and is also called TAME from its initials.
A short tube is inserted into the vein just like intravenous drip, and a liquid medicine is dripped. A catheter is a lengthened version of the drip tube which is inserted into a blood vessel from the base of the wrist or foot to reach the desired area of treatment.
The catheter is 0.6mm thickness and the tube itself is soft (you can see and touch when you come to our hospital), so we can provide this safe treatment.
When we get to the area of the pain by using catheter, we will be able to see the problem blood vessels and inject the substance there.
If you are interested in the medical substance we use, please see the following page.
Medical substance we use for catheterization treatment
The medical substance we use for catheterization is Imipenem/Cilastatin, and it has been approved as an “antibiotic” for over 20 years.
The purpose of catheterization is to reduce problem blood vessels, but then why we use antibiotic which is used to eliminate bacteria? In fact, this substance is famous for being difficult to dissolve. Since it is difficult to dissolve, it becomes a little particle with a small amount of liquid.
When these particles are injected with catheter, they become “clogged” in the tiny blood vessels. In other words, if you shed this medicine where there are a lot of problem blood vessels, it will gather at the abnormal area. This causes problem blood vessels to become properly due to poor blood flow.
Then, how does the substance work on normal blood vessels? Is it possible to damage normal blood vessels cause scary things such as “necrosis” or “injury”?
In conclusion, you do not have to worry about them at all.
Although more than 2,000 patients have undergone this catheterization with imipenem/cilastatin particles, not a single case of “necrosis” or “injury” has occurred.
Why?
Problem blood vessels that are newly formed in the disease are not “experienced as normal blood vessels” and are less able to deal with the trouble. On the other hand, normal blood vessels have existed since birth, and have a mechanism that allows blood to flow again (reopen) even if the flow is a little stagnant.
Thus, it is a very safe and excellent substance that can damage only problem blood vessels properly while normal blood vessels can be reopened and blood flow maintained.