Services/Treatments of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery in Bangalore

WHAT IS VASCULAR & ENDOVASCULAR SURGERY?

The human body depends on circulating blood to survive. The heart pumps blood out to the body through arteries. Veins bring blood back to the heart. In between, blood supplies the body with oxygen, helps combat diseases, carries toxins to the kidneys and liver for filtering and more.

Vascular and endovascular refers to surgery on arteries and veins as well as within arteries and veins. This specialty deals with all types of vascular dis- ease, including arterial occlusive disease, aneurysmal disease, and lymphat- ic and venous disorders.

VASCULAR SURGERY DEALS WITH

• Management of Swollen Legs/DVT – Swollen legs due to deep vein thrombosis are a fairly common presentation. These are effectively treated by IVC filters, catheter direct- ed thrombolysis, compression stockings, compression therapy and anticoagulation. A rare but serious complication of DVT is dislodg- ment of the clots from the legs to the lungs.
• Angiography, Ballooning (Angioplasty) and Stenting – Angiography is a special dye test of the blood vessels. It is done under local anaesthesia, on a mobile X-ray machine or Cath Lab. Angi- ography of the legs, arm or neck vessels is done regularly.
• Doppler Scan – The blood vessels can also be studied by a non invasive method – Doppler. It is similar to an ultrasonography (USG) examination. This investigation also helps to detect peripheral vascular (PVD) or arterial blockage, DVT, varicose veins etc.
• Surgery for Varicose Veins – Varicose veins are prominent and tortuous veins in legs, which can cause pain, ulcer and swelling. They are managed by injection sclerotherapy, endovenous ablation or operation depending on the severity. These procedures are carried out as day care procedures.
• Surgery for Stroke Prevention – Stroke or Brain attack usually occurs due to blockage of arteries in the neck, which carry blood to the brain (carotid artery). This block- age can be cleared by an operation called Carotid Endarterectomy.
• Surgery for Aortic Aneurysms – An aortic aneurysms is ballooning of the main artery of the body, usually in the abdomen. It is a major risk to life if it leaks or ruptures. An open surgery with a tube graft is performed to prevent this complication. This is an alternative to Endovascular surgery which is also performed routinely.
• Leg bypass Surgery – Leg arteries are blocked due to atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. Eventually, as the process progresses, your blood vessels can no longer supply the Oxygen demands of your organs or muscles and symptoms may develop. During a bypass, the Vascular Surgeon creates a new pathway for blood flow using a graft. A graft is a portion of one of your veins or a man-made synthetic tube that your sur- geon connects above and below a blockage to allow blood to pass around it.
• Vascular traumas – Both arterial and venous, are amenable to endovascular interventions in selected patients. Some of the serious, life-threatening injuries have yielded superior results, with marked decreases in mortality and morbidity.Endovascular interventions are still evolving and with the progress of technology, much vascular pathology will be treated with these minimally invasive procedures.Both surgical and endovascular procedures are performed routinely. The two are complementary to each other and not mutually ex- clusive. Judicious patient selection, with one or the other form of intervention, sometimes combined (hybrid) procedures, is extremely important and preferably should be performed by a single team.