Varicose veins can be a symptom of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a progressive medical condition that affects the ability of veins in the legs to return blood to the heart. If left untreated, CVI can lead to discomfort, swelling, skin changes, and even ulcers. Fortunately, advancements in medical technology offer a highly effective and minimally invasive treatment called venous ablation.
Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Chanaka Wickramasinghe, MD, received his medical degree at King's College London GKT School of Medical Education. He subsequently moved to the United States for further training and completed his residency at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. During his residency, he excelled in both academic and leadership roles and was chosen to serve as Chief Resident for the medicine residency program for an additional year.
He completed a cardiovascular fellowship at UCLA Medical Center and was again recognized for his leadership and academic excellence and served as Chief Fellow during his final year.
Dr. Wickramasinghe knew at an early age he wanted to pursue medicine as a career. "I was always good at science and was very intrigued with how the body worked," states Dr. Wickramasinghe. While in his residency program, Dr. Wickramasinghe was exposed to numerous subspecialties, but it was cardiology that best aligned with his personality. "I was drawn by the interaction of pathophysiology, pharmacology and functional anatomy in cardiology and the evidenced-based nature of the specialty."
Dr. Wickramasinghe strongly believes that patients should be involved in making decisions about their health care, and that it is his role is to provide them with as much information as possible to make the best informed decision. He states, "Shared decision making and good patient-physician relationship is vital to treatment compliance and good long term outcomes."
In addition to being board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Dr. Wickramasinghe is also board certified in Echocardiography and Nuclear Cardiology. He has special interests in treating patients with congestive heart failure, cardio-oncology (cardio-toxic effects of chemotherapy) as well as being involved in advanced imaging for structural interventions such as Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and MitraClip.
