VNUS® Closure® is a clinically proven, minimally invasive procedure that treats varicose veins and their underlying cause, venous reflux, with little or no pain. Closure patients can walk away from the vein procedure and be back to everyday activities – either at home or at work – typically within a day. The VNUS Closure procedure is a minimally invasive treatment alternative with less pain and less bruising when compared to traditional vein stripping surgery and laser treatment. Using the Closure system, physicians close the diseased veins by inserting the Closure catheter into a vein and heating the vein wall using temperature-controlled RF energy. Heating the vein wall causes collagen in the wall to shrink and the vein to close. After the vein is sealed shut, blood then naturally reroutes to healthy veins.       Clinically Proven Less Post-Operative Pain. The Closure procedure does not involve pulling the diseased vein from the thigh as with vein stripping surgery, or using 700° C laser energy which boils blood to occlude a vein as with endovenous laser (EVL).4 In the RECOVERY Trial, a multi-center head-to-head comparative randomized trial comparing the Closure with EVL, the Closure procedure was found to have less patient pain and less patient bruising than EVL for the best patient recovery experience available from a minimally invasive vein treatment.2 Additionally, in other randomized comparative studies have shown that patients receiving the Closure procedure return to normal activity and work significantly faster than those receiving vein stripping.1       Excellent Clinical Outcomes. The ClosureFAST catheter, which represents the latest advancement in the Closure procedure, has been shown in a multi-center study to have a 97.4 efficacy rate at one-year.3 This shows that the treatment is highly effective.       Minimally Invasive Outpatient Procedure. Closure catheters are inserted into the vein via a tiny incision in the lower leg, eliminating the need for groin surgery and general anesthesia. The Closure procedure is performed using local anesthesia in the office.       Cosmetically Appealing. Because treatment with Closure is minimally invasive and is catheter-based, it results in little to no scarring.     VNUS closure can be used for the long and short saphenous veins. In addition, incompetent perforator veins can be treated with excellent success using the closure technique. Dr. Nackman presented one of the first series of patients at a national meeting treated with Closure for perforator disease.5 Visit the VNUS website for more information: www.vnus.com 1. Lurie, F, et al.Prospective randomized study of endovenous radiofrequency obliteration (Closure procedure) versus ligation and stripping in a selected patient population (EVOLVeS Study), J Vasc Surg 2003; 38(2):207-14. 2. RECOVERY Trial – Data on File – VNUS Medical Technologies, Inc. 3. Dietzek A, Two-Year Follow-Up Data From A Prospective, Multicenter Study Of The Efficacy Of The ClosureFAST Catheter, 35th Annual Veith Symposium. Symposium. November 19, 2008. New York. 4. Weiss RA, et al. Comparison of Endovenous Radiofrequency Versus 10nm Diode Laser Occlusion of Large Veins in an Animal Model. Dermotol Surgery 2002; 28: 56-61. 5. Nackman GB, et al. Radiofrequency Ablation of Incompetent Perforator Veins. Presented at the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Venous Forum. Feb. 2007. San Diego, CA.