Vascular Surgery Q & A

What is vascular surgery?

Vascular surgery is a surgical specialty that involves your circulatory system. This system includes your arteries, veins, and capillaries.

Arteries

Your arteries are the blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to every organ, tissue, and cell in your body.

Veins

Your veins return the oxygen-depleted blood back to your heart and lungs for oxygenation.

Capillaries

The capillaries are tiny blood vessels that connect your arteries and veins. These tiny blood vessels also provide oxygen-rich blood to individual cells. 

Who needs vascular surgery?

Your primary care provider or surgeon at Surgical Clinic, PC determines whether you need vascular surgery. If you have a condition that affects circulation through an artery or vein, then you may benefit from vascular surgery. 

Conditions that may require vascular surgery include:

  • Carotid artery disease (CAD)
  • Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
  • Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)
  • Varicose veins
  • Spider veins

You may also need vascular surgery if you have severe kidney disease and need dialysis. The team at Surgical Clinic, PC places the venous access you need for dialysis. 

What are the types of vascular surgery?

Surgical Clinic, PC is a state-of-the-art practice that aims to provide surgical and vascular procedures locally so you don’t have to travel to larger cities for your surgical care. Types of vascular surgeries include:

Carotid angioplasty and stenting

The carotid artery delivers oxygen-rich blood to the brain. The team performs carotid angioplasty and stenting to treat narrowing or blockages in these arteries due to a buildup of plaque — atherosclerosis.

During the procedure, your surgeon inserts a catheter into a blood vessel and advances it toward the carotid artery. Once in place, they inflate a balloon that widens the artery and then place a stent — a mesh-like tube — to reinforce the blood vessel wall and keep it open. 

Carotid endarterectomy

During a carotid endarterectomy, your surgeon removes plaque from the carotid artery.

Dialysis access surgery

For dialysis access surgery, the team creates an access point for you to get dialysis treatments. The access is a thickened vein that allows the dialysis to remove blood from your body, clean it, and then return it.

Peripheral angioplasty and stenting

The surgeons perform peripheral angioplasty and stenting to treat PAD. This procedure is similar to carotid angioplasty and stenting.

Vein ablation or stripping

If you have CVI or varicose veins, the team may ablate or strip the diseased vein to improve circulation. 

For vein ablation, the team heats the vein, causing it to collapse. Your body reroutes blood through a healthy vein. With vein stripping, your surgeon removes the diseased vein.

Spider vein treatment

Spider vein treatment may include ablation or laser treatment.

To schedule a vascular surgery consultation, call Surgical Clinic, PC, or book online today.