People who have diseases affecting their arteries, veins, and lymphatic vessels may need vascular surgery. This includes a wide range of conditions where blood flow is compromised.
Conditions Often Requiring Vascular Surgery
Vascular surgery addresses issues within the vascular system, aiming to restore or improve blood flow. Common conditions that may necessitate vascular surgery include:
- Aortic Aneurysm: A bulge in the aorta, the body's largest artery, which can rupture if left untreated.
- Carotid Artery Disease: A narrowing of the carotid arteries, which supply blood to the brain, increasing the risk of stroke.
- Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): Blockage or narrowing of arteries in the limbs (usually the legs), causing pain, numbness, and potentially tissue damage.
- Chronic Venous Insufficiency: A condition where veins in the legs don't properly return blood to the heart, leading to swelling, pain, and skin changes.
- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT): A blood clot that forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg, which can travel to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism.
- Blood Clots: General blood clots that obstruct blood flow in arteries or veins.
- Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD): A condition that causes abnormal cell growth in the walls of arteries, leading to narrowing, aneurysms, or dissections.
- May-Thurner Syndrome: Compression of the left iliac vein by the right iliac artery, increasing the risk of DVT in the left leg.
- Mesenteric Artery Ischemia: A condition where the arteries that supply blood to the intestines become narrowed or blocked, leading to abdominal pain and potentially intestinal damage.
When Vascular Surgery is Considered
Vascular surgeons consider several factors when determining if surgery is necessary, including:
- Severity of the Condition: How much the condition affects the patient's quality of life and overall health.
- Risk of Complications: Assessing the potential risks of the surgery versus the risks of not having surgery.
- Response to Other Treatments: Whether non-surgical treatments, such as medication or lifestyle changes, have been effective.
- Patient's Overall Health: Evaluating the patient's general health and ability to tolerate surgery.
Types of Vascular Surgery
Vascular surgery encompasses a variety of procedures, including:
- Open Surgery: Traditional surgery involving a larger incision to directly access and repair the affected blood vessel.
- Endovascular Surgery: Minimally invasive procedures performed through small incisions using catheters and specialized instruments to repair blood vessels from within.
- Angioplasty and Stenting: Widening narrowed arteries using a balloon catheter and placing a stent to keep the artery open.
- Bypass Surgery: Creating a new route for blood flow around a blocked artery using a graft.
Vascular surgery is needed when compromised blood flow from diseases of the arteries and veins is causing significant health problems and less invasive treatments are insufficient.
