 Provides consultation and treatment of all forms of peripheral vascular disease (diseases of the blood vessels outside of the heart).
Carotid Artery Disease - A type of peripheral arterial disease in which there is "hardening of the arteries" (atherosclerosis) in the main arteries carrying oxygen-rich blood to the brain (the carotid arteries).
Treatment - Carotid Endarterectomy - An invasive treatment where blood flow is temporarily re-routed through a tube and around the blockage. Obstructing plaque along the wall of the artery is then removed by removing the entire inner lining of the artery.
Aortic Disease - The aorta is your largest artery and is responsible for carrying blood from your heart to the rest of your body. One form of aortic disease, known as a dissection, is a tear in the wall of the artery. If the dissection is located in the chest, it is usually associated with chest pain, and if in the abdomen, is associated with abdominal pain. Another type of aortic disease, called an aneurysm, is a section of blood vessels that bulges or balloons out abnormally in the wall of the artery, a vein, or the heart.
Treatments - Balloon Angioplasty and Stenting - A balloon at the tip of a catheter is briefly inflated, which presses plaque back against the wall of the artery and make more room for the blood to flow. A wire mesh metal tube or stent maybe inserted through the catheter, where it expands to hold open the artery.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Surgery - Traditional surgery requires the abdomen (or chest if the aneurysm is thoracic) to be opened surgically. The bulging section of the aorta is surgically removed and the remaining blood vessel reconnected. An open surgery to expose the aorta, clamp the aorta above and below the AAA, and sewing a “new” aorta made from either polyester or Teflon in its place.
Stent-Graft Procedure - In a stent-graft procedure (also known as endoluminal aortic stent-grafting or endovascular repair), the physician prevents blood from flowing through the aneurysm by placing one stent just above the aneurysm and a second stent just below the aneurysm. The two stents are connected by a patch of synthetic material (a graft), which provides a channel for blood to flow without entering the aneurysm. Because the grafts are delivered via a catheter, the use of grafts is less invasive than traditional surgery. And, since the grafts allow the aneurysm to be bypassed rather than removed, the procedure results in less trauma to the blood vessels.
Varicose Veins - Abnormally widened veins that are swollen, dark and frequently twisted or contorted instead of straight. They usually occur in the legs, and may cause swelling (edema), inflammation and a dark color around the ankles. Varicose veins can cause pain, throbbing or itching. In extreme cases, varicose veins can lead to the development of a leg ulcer.
Treatments -Compression stockings - Most physicians consider compression therapy a necessary adjunct to any surgical therapies and must be initiated prior to and maintained after any surgery.
Injection therapy - During this procedure, an irritant chemical such as salt solution is injected into the offending veins, causing them to scar and seal off. Following the injections, compression bandages are applied to prevent blood from refilling the veins and to allow them to heal.
Using a laser - a physician can direct bursts of light onto the vein that cause it to slowly fade and disappear.
Ambulatory phlebectomy - used to remove smaller varicose veins through a series of tiny skin punctures under local anesthesia.
Vein stripping - a surgical treatment reserved for large varicose veins. In this procedure, incompetent segments of large varicosed veins are tied off and surgically removed.
Endoscopic vein surgery - is typically reserved for advanced cases of vascular disease involving leg ulcers. Surgeons insert a small endoscope (a fiberoptic device equipped with a tiny camera) into the veins in order to visualize vascular abnormalities from inside the vein and to continue providing these clear images as the abnormalities are surgically removed.
Vein ablation - also called saphenous vein ablation, is a catheter-based procedure that uses laser or radiofrequency energy to close off varicose veins. During this procedure, the physician inserts a long, thin tube (catheter) into the varicose vein and heats the tip of the catheter. As the catheter is removed, the heat destroys the vein. Radiofrequencies can also be used to close the vein.
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