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Home > Medical Professionals > Vascular Disease Treatments

Vascular Disease Treatments

This series of podcasts is a resource for referring physicans and other health care professionals. The podcasts are available in two file formats - Windows Media (WMV) and Quicktime video (MOV).

To play the podcasts from this Web site, simply click on the links below (WMV or MOV). The MOV files are much larger and take longer to download; you may want to download the MOV files directly to your computer prior to playing.

To download the files to your computer:

1. Right-click over the link and select "Save Target As"
2. Choose the file location on your computer to store the file
3. Double-click the file to view through your computer, or drag into your portable player's software (such as iTunes)

What is Vascular Surgery?

WMV | MOV
In 1986, Dr. Juan Parodi revolutionized the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms by treating these with a stent/graft combination. This singular change resulted in a complete re-focusing of vascular surgery into minimally invasive endovascular treatments. The entire vascular surgery workforce was retrained in the early 1990s to include minimally invasive treatments as a routine part of vascular surgery.

Who Should be Referred to a Vascular Surgeon?

WMV | MOV
Perhaps the most commonly asked question vascular surgeons receive from non-medical people is, “How would I know that I needed to come see a vascular surgeon?” Most folks usually believe that vascular surgeons take care of some aspect of the heart, or more commonly, believe we remove varicose veins for a living. Interestingly, many referring physicians often have trouble understanding who to refer to the vascular surgeon as well.

The Complete Vascular Specialist

WMV | MOV
Vascular surgeons are experts in the treatment of the entire spectrum of vascular disease, including arterial aneurysms and occlusive disease, venous disease and lymphatic insufficiency.
In fact, the term vascular surgeon is really a misnomer. Contemporary vascular surgeons do much, much more than perform traditional surgery.

Medical Management of Vascular Disease

WMV | MOV
Advanced presentations of the most common vascular diseases, carotid artery and lower extremity occlusive disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysm are best treated with surgical or endovascular treatment when compared to medical therapy. However, treatment of these diseases is enhanced by administration of several medications.

Minimally Invasive Vascular Procedures and Vascular Surgery

WMV | MOV
The early years of vascular surgery were dominated by open aortic and carotid surgery which was challenging and often complicated, with long hospital stays the norm. While the modern vascular surgeon maintains this expertise, only a minority of the procedures today require an incision, and many of the procedures can be done as an out-patient. In vascular surgery today, minimally invasive individualized treatment is the focus.

Non-invasive Vascular Diagnosis

WMV | MOV
One of the major assets of the vascular specialist is the ability to diagnose vascular disease using non-invasive techniques, including ultrasound, blood pressures and plethesmography. These techniques utilize sound waves or blood pressure cuffs to evaluate arteries and veins. The studies are termed non-invasive because these technologies do not require incisions, catheters or needles.

Endovascular Aneurysm Treatment

WMV | MOV
Endovascular treatment of aneurysms (EVAR) started nearly 20 years ago, from the simple idea that a graft, nearly identical to those used in open surgery, can be supported with metallic stents and collapsed inside a tube.

Additional Topics
 

Vascular Disease Treatments  |  Peripheral Arterial Disease  |  Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm  |  Carotid Arterial Disease 
Venous Disease  |  Deep Vein Thrombosis  |  Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms  |  Penetrating Ulcers of the Aorta
Vascular Specialty Topics |  Podcast Home Page