VASCULAR SURGERY

'Vascular surgery' is a subspecialty of general surgery in which diseases of the vascular system, or arteries and veins, are managed, largely via surgical intervention. The vascular surgeon is trained in the diagnosis & management of diseases affecting all parts of the vascular system except that of the heart & brain. Cardiothoracic surgeons manage surgical disease of the heart and its vessels. Neurosurgeons manage surgical disease of the vessels in the brain (eg intracranial aneurysms).

Contents

Breadth of discipline

Training

Surgical Procedures

External links

Breadth of discipline

★ Arterial diseases ( especially in Diabetics )

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★ Aneurysms

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★ Ischemia

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★ Limb ischemia

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★ Acute limb ischemia

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★ Thrombectomies

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★ Embolectomies

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★ Anti-coagulation and Thrombolysis

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★ Chronic limb ischemia

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★ see intermittent claudication and peripheral artery occlusive disease

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★ Diabetic foot ulcers

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★ Mesenteric ischemia

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★ Renal ischemia

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★ Extracranial cerebrovascular disease

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★ Carotid Endarterectomy and other carotid surgery

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★ Surgery of the vertebral system

★ Venous disease

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★ Deep Vein Thrombosis

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★ Thrombophelebitis

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★ Varicose Veins and Varicosities

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★ Venous malformations

★ Lymphatic disease

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★ Lymphoedema

★ Vascular Medicine

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★ Medical disorders with a significant vascular components, for example:

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★ Raynaud's syndrome

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★ Scleroderma

Training

Previously considered a field within general surgery, it is now considered a specialty in its own right. As a result, training has been, or is being re-structured from previously having to complete full general surgery training followed by a period of further vascular surgery training, to being trained in vascular surgery alone from start to finish.
Programs of training are slightly different depending on the region of the world one is in.

Country	Standards body	Professional representation	Minimum Length of training (post intern)
Australia and New Zealand	Royal Australasian College of Surgeons	Australian & New Zealand Society of Vascular Surgery (ANZSVS)	6 years
United Kingdom	Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh	Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland	8 years
USA	Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)	American College of SurgeonsMultiple vascular societies	8 years

Surgical Procedures

By no means exhaustive, but below are a number of common procedures and indications for vascular surgeons.

Indication/disease	Procedure	External link
Abdominal aortic aneurysm	Open AAA repairEndoluminal AAA repair (EVAR)
Carotid stenosis	Carotid endarterectomyCarotid stenting
Varicose veins	Vein strippingSclerotherapy and Foam sclerotherapyLaser ablationAmbulatory phlebectomy
Peripheral arterial occlusive disease	Angioplasty with/out StentingBypass surgery
Acute limb ischaemia	Balloon embolectomyThrombectomyBypass surgery
Aortic dissection	Open repairThoracic stent graft

External links

★ Vascular surgery Material on arterial and venous surgery.

★ Vascular Surgery Information in the South

★ Aesthetic Medical Educators Training (AMET) provides instructional seminars to medical professionals.

★ European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery: the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery.