Any surgical procedure involving the veins, arteries, and capillaries is said to be vascular surgery. It involves all the vessels that transport blood and is essential to manage several types of vascular illness. Often, surgery is used in cases where someone has a vascular condition that fails to respond to conventional treatments and lifestyle changes. In such a case, Jacob Rinker, MD, FACS, a board-certified surgeon offering vascular surgery in Gillette, WY, can help you know if the treatment option is suitable for you. Here is more information about vascular surgery to help you understand the treatment procedure.
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Why it is Done
In some cases, vascular surgery can be an emergency situation and save a life, like in an aortic aneurysm. But in some cases, the treatment option is recommended to relieve pain and improve your overall quality of life. Besides, vascular surgery can also be used as a preventative measure, such as removing plaque to avoid a stroke.
The following complications often require vascular surgery to manage:
- Blood clots
- Aortic aneurysm
- Critical limb ischemia
- Diabetes vascular disease
- Peripheral artery disease
- Fistula management and dialysis graft
- Varicose vein
- Visceral artery disease
Classification of Vascular Surgery
Although there are various types of vascular surgery, two classifications describe this surgical procedure; open surgery and endovascular surgery.
Open surgery is the traditional surgery involving long incisions to give access to the blood vessels and provide a broad view. Endovascular surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that is done through tiny incisions using catheters. Although open surgery is more invasive than endovascular surgery, the two methods can be combined when dealing with some complex vascular situations.
Tests and Labs for Vascular Surgery
Before your provider recommends a vascular surgery, several tests and labs are carried out depending on the particular symptoms you portray. This is because sometimes you can have symptoms that develop very quickly, posing a threat to your life. Other symptoms develop slowly over time but can also be life-threatening. Through the tests and labs, your provider can understand your condition’s severity, helping them decide if and how soon the surgery will be needed.
Invasive and Noninvasive Tests
Both noninvasive and invasive tests are involved in diagnosing your health complication for vascular surgery. Noninvasive testing may be used to assess the veins and arteries in your legs, abdomen, arms, or neck. This may include imaging tests such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance angiogram and non-imaging tests such as ankle-brachial index, tests to evaluate blood circulation, and tests to compare pressure measurements.
Reasons for Noninvasive Vascular Testing
Depending on your particular symptoms, your provider may use noninvasive vascular testing to diagnose the following conditions:
- Aneurysm
- Mesenteric artery disease
- Renal artery stenosis
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Carotid artery disease
- Atherosclerosis
- Varicose vein
- Ulcers
- Trauma to an artery or vein
Why You Would Need a Vascular Surgeon
If vascular surgery is your option, you ought to ensure that you are in the hands of the best provider. Vascular surgeons are specially trained in dealing with circulatory system complications meaning they have exceptional expertise when compared to a primary care provider. Besides, a board-certified vascular surgeon offers a full spectrum of care covering all possible treatments for your vascular disease. Other specialists may only be trained on one or two treatment aspects.
Therefore, you can consult the board-certified surgeon at Wyoming Medical Associates to understand more about vascular surgery. Dr. Rinker will help diagnose vascular disease symptoms and help you understand how vascular surgery can help you.