
“Today, we have access to minimally invasive measures for effective treatment,” relates Dr. Adam Farkas of Hadassah’s Vascular and Interventional Radiology Unit. “Early detection is the key, because it allows children to grow and develop well, both physically and socially, and to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering.” One method of treatment closes off the problematic blood vessels via insertion of a catheter through the groin. The area is cauterized until the vein or artery has shrunk to the point of blocking blood flow to the area, thus eventually causing it to disappear. The other treatment method is sclerotherapy, which also shrinks the problematic blood vessel, but with an injection of a special solution. Dr. Farkas, age 32, who was born and raised in New York, recently immigrated to Israel with his wife and four children. He has a special interest in venous diseases and vascular malformations, for which he underwent specialized training at Boston (MA) Children’s Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. He has since brought to Hadassah some of the cutting-edge therapies he learned at Harvard.