Your vascular system, which includes the arteries and veins that provide oxygen to every single cell in your body, is essential for optimal health. Whenever these blood vessels become clogged, there is a lot of trouble.
Individuals with vascular disorders, such as atherosclerosis, often have no symptoms at all until it's too late. Intermittent pain that feels like cramps or muscle tiredness are common symptoms of severe vascular diseases.
What is Vascular Surgery?
Vascular surgery is a surgical specialty that deals with the vascular system, which includes both big and tiny blood vessels, and also the lymphatic system, which transports infection-fighting white blood cells throughout the body. It's vital to emphasize that vascular surgeons rarely perform surgeries on the brain or the heart.
The state of one's arteries and veins is crucial to one's general health. When blood flows freely throughout the body, oxygen & nutrients are delivered to the tissues and organs. It also transports blood back to the lungs via veins, where carbon dioxide is exchanged for more oxygen. Damage or illness in the blood arteries can create issues ranging from minor spider veins to life-threatening internal bleeding and attacks.
It's also important to have a healthy lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is made up of tissues, arteries, and organs that transport waste to the liver and kidneys to be filtered out of the blood, keep illness at bay, and maintain body fluid balance. Infections, obstructions, cancer, and lymphedema, or the buildup of fluid in the tissue, are all examples of lymphatic difficulties.
As we become older, vascular disease becomes more common. The following are some of the factors that enhance your chances of acquiring vascular problems:
- Increasing age
- Injury
- Pregnancy
- Family history
- Prolonged periods of inactivity
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Obesity
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Types of Vascular Surgery
Depending on your problem, there are several forms of vascular surgery. The following are some of the more common methods for dealing with problems with the vascular system.
1) Angioplasty or Stant
Angioplasty with stenting is the least invasive surgery in which the surgeon uses a catheter-guided balloon to open a restricted artery. This method is used to treat the following conditions:
- A constriction of the blood capillaries that carry oxygenated blood to the arms and legs: peripheral artery disease.
- A constriction of the blood vessels that deliver oxygenated blood from the heart to the brain: carotid artery disease.
2) Arteriovenous (AV) Graft
An AV graft surgery like an AV fistula treatment that produces a dialysis access point requires surgically joining an artery to a vein but this time, via a synthetic pipe.
3) Arteriovenous (AV) Fistula
Your vascular surgeon links a vein in the forearm to an artery during an AV fistula operation. This improves the vein stronger & broader, making it easier to access for dialysis patients with kidney failure.
4) Vascular Bypass Surgery
Bypass grafting is a surgical procedure that involves constructing an alternate blood flow channel to bypass an injured vessel.
Patients with the following conditions may benefit from this surgery:
- Blood flow to the back of the brain is affected by vertebrobasilar illness.
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition that affects blood flow towards the arms as well as legs.
- Renal vascular disease is a condition that affects the flow of blood to the kidneys.
- Mesenteric vascular disease is a condition that affects the flow of blood to the intestines.
5) Femoral Endarterectomy
The surgical resection of plaque inside the inner layer of the arteries delivering blood to your head and legs, accordingly, is known as open carotid as well as femoral endarterectomy. When there is a moderate to severe blockage, this procedure is performed.
6) Thrombectomy
A thrombectomy occurs when a blood clot is removed from a vein or artery. It is done to restore correct blood flow and prevent potentially fatal complications, like when a blood clot goes to the lungs that pulmonary embolism or the brains, resulting in a stroke. A thrombectomy can be combined with angioplasty as well as a stenting procedure.
7) Atherectomy
Minimally invasive surgery is atherectomy, which involves inserting a specialized catheter into a blocked artery to allow your vascular surgeon to cut and remove plaque from the blood vessels. This approach can be utilized to treat individuals with peripheral artery disease while also allowing dialysis users to have vascular access.Find Best Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgeon: Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery Hospitals in India
Difference between Vascular Surgery and Interventional Radiology
Although vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists both do some of the same operations, their training, methods performed, and problems treated are all different.
Vascular surgeons undertake substantial surgical training. They can do hybrid operations that combine standard "open" surgery and minimally invasive endovascular techniques because they can execute both. If necessary, a vascular surgeon can move from an endovascular technique to open surgery.
Interventional radiologists exclusively undertake minimally invasive procedures, the majority of which have nothing to do with vascular problems. They are professionals at reading and interpreting imaging tests like MRIs and CT scans to diagnose medical problems.
The vascular surgeon should have considerable experience in the treatment of vascular issues, such as:
- Non-invasive testing such as plethysmography, magnetic resonance imaging, CT scans, duplex ultrasonography, angiography, and other diagnostic techniques are used in the identification of vascular disease.
- Screening and monitoring, wound management, medical care, medication therapy, risk factor management, involving amputations, and other adjunctive operations are all part of comprehensive vascular disease management.
The full spectrum of interventions used to cure vascular disorders, including inflammatory disease, trauma, occlusive, aneurysmal, and neurovascular compressive syndromes incorporating the veins and arteries of the body, are included in the indications and techniques relating to open and endovascular treatment of vascular disorders (excluding the intracranial and coronary arteries). The aorta and its branches, as well as the arteries of the upper, neck, pelvis, and lower limbs, and the venous system, are all included.
