Many people complain of problems with blood vessels - veins and arteries. But not everyone knows what to do with such diseases and which doctor to contact. An angiosurgeon is a specialist in vessels that treats pathological diseases of veins and arteries. It is to him that you need to contact at the first pain attacks in the lower limbs of the body.
What does a vascular surgeon do?
Angiosurgery is a field of medicine designed to eliminate negative changes in vessels of various sizes. An angiosurgeon performs outpatient diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system. The doctor studies in detail the blood, lymph nodes and their diseases; selects suitable methods for the diagnosis and treatment of ailments.
The main areas of work of a vascular surgeon include:
- prevention and subsequent treatment of stroke;
- aesthetic phlebology;
- examination, treatment of peripheral vascular disease.
During the examination of the patient, the doctor studies the condition, structure of the vessels.
What diseases does an angiosurgeon help to cure?
Vascular surgeons were able to achieve significant success in the diagnosis of lesions of the main arteries. This allowed the patient to establish an accurate diagnosis and select the most effective methods of treatment.
An angiosurgeon is a doctor who eliminates a whole range of pathological vascular diseases:
- Phlebothrombosis (thrombotic diseases of arteries and veins).
- Embolism of arteries, veins. These are formations of a pathological type that clog the lumen.
- Varicose veins.
- Arterial aneurysm, when the artery wall is depleted, and pathological protrusions in the form of "bags" are formed on it.
- Atherosclerosis of the arteries.
- Thrombophlebitis - inflammatory processes in the venous network, leading to the formation of blood clots.
- Obliterating endarteritis - obstruction of the lumen in the arteries of the lower extremities.
- Diabetic angiopathy
- Congenital malformations of the vessels of the congenital type.
- Bleeding or vascular injury.
- Benign neoplasms in the vessels.
How is the treatment carried out?
Many people believe that a vascular doctor is an ordinary surgeon. In fact, these are two different doctors. It should be understood that the angiosurgeon is treating. He performs a complex treatment of diseases of veins and arteries, while an ordinary surgeon can only perform a small operation on a vessel, after which the disease can recede, but not without damage to the appearance of the legs.
Vascular specialists initially conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of vascular diseases, and then prescribe treatment.
An angiosurgeon is a doctor who performs certain operations on vessels - veins and arteries. These are such as:
- excision of the affected area of the artery with its subsequent stitching;
- removal of blood clots, emboli;
- replacement of the removed region of the vessel with a synthetic prosthesis - prosthetics;
- sclerosis - vasodilation with the aim of introducing a special sclerosing substance;
- shunting - the formation of a new bloodstream (shunt);
- stenting - the introduction of a special stent into the lumen of an artery to expand it.
Before starting any operation, the vascular surgeon diagnoses the patient with one of the most suitable methods, these are:
- scanning of arteries, veins; Ultrasound of blood vessels ;
- Doppler ultrasound;
- biochemical analysis of blood to establish disorders in lipid metabolism;
- establishing homocysteine levels;
- determination of blood coagulability;
- genodiagnosis.
When to contact a vascular surgeon?
If a person is concerned about frequent pain in the lower extremities, he needs an angiosurgeon. What this doctor treats can be found on a personal visit to the doctor’s office. It is necessary to sign up for a consultation with a specialist if a person begins to experience certain ailments:
- swelling, heaviness in the legs;
- vascular "stars" appear on the skin of the legs;
- saphenous veins expand;
- with exertion, pain in the legs increases;
- cramps appear in the calf muscles;
- ulcers form in the leg region.
To verify the presence of vascular diseases, you should consult a doctor at the first pain syndromes. Often, diseases of the veins and arteries occur against the background of atherosclerosis.
Modern possibilities of angiosurgeons
Twenty years ago, topical diagnosis of veins and arteries was performed using angiography. This method has remained the gold standard in the diagnosis of blood vessels. But it is gradually replaced by the latest research methods, which prove their effectiveness.
A modern angiosurgeon is a doctor who uses ultrasound methods and duplex scanning in the diagnosis of blood vessels . Along with them, magnetic resonance angiography, electron beam tomography and other methods of examination are used.
But the main thing that vascular surgeons could achieve was to establish an accurate diagnosis using auscultation, which is used for stenosis of the carotid or iliac artery.
Currently, angiosurgeons extensively practice the removal of veins using a seamless method that involves surgery without incisions.