Vascular Surgery – Overview, Causes & Diagnosis
The vascular diseases include disorder of the circulatory system including blood vessels, the arteries and veins (excluding the heart). Doctors who treat people with blood vessel disorder have many options including medication, mechanical devices, catheters and balloon induced through small skin incision and surgical procedure. The main focus of the treatment is to keep the vessels open and working and in doing so it prevents stroke, le cramping, le amputation and rupture of aneurysms.
Vascular surgery is indicated when the patients has vascular disease that cannot be treated by less invasive non-surgical treatments. The main purpose of vascular surgery is to treat vascular diseases which are diseases of the arteries and veins. Arterial disease is a condition in which blood clots, arteriosclerosis and other vascular conditions occur in the arteries. Venous diseases involves problem that occurs in the veins. Some diseases affect both arteries and veins.
As people age, vascular disease are very common. Since it rarely causes symptoms many people do not realize that they suffer from it. In majority of cases the blockage is caused by one or more blood clots that travel to lungs from other parts of the body. Factors that increase chance of vascular disease are:
- Increasing age (which results in a loss of elasticity in the veins and their valves)
- A family history of heart or vascular disease
- Illness
- Injury
- Pregnancy
- Prolonged hours on inactivity sitting, standing or bed rest
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Cholesterol of exercise
- lack of exercise
Vascular surgery involves techniques relating to endovascular surgeries including balloon angioplasty and/or stenting, aortic and peripheral vascular endovascular stent placement, thrombolytic and other vascular reconstruction. Vascular diseases are usually caused by conditions that clog or weaken blood vessel or damage valves that control the flow of blood in and out of the veins. A few such diseases affecting arteries are:
- peripheral vascular disease(PVD)
- carotid artery disease
- aortic aneurysms (AAA)
Other vascular surgery includes:
- cerebral aneurysm
- acute arterial and raft occlusion
- carotid endarterectomy
- endovascular grafting
- renal artery aneurysm
- surgery on varicose veins
- lower extremity amputation
Diagnosis
Many arteries in the body can be felt or palpated. A doctor can feel for the pulse in the area he/she feels afflicted. Most advanced arteriosclerosis the less pulse in a given area. As the artery is blocked it gives water roaring sound that can be diagnosed by a doctor.