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An angiosurgeon is a doctor who specializes in pathologies of the vascular system. An alternative name is a vascular surgeon. The list of diseases that the doctor deals with includes disorders of the lower extremities, cardiopathology, kidney failure and problems with potency. What do you need to know about angiosurgery, when should you see a doctor and what treatment/diagnosis methods does he use?
General characteristics of the direction
As a separate branch, angiosurgery was formed not so long ago. Even in the last century, it was part of other medical areas. The need for angiosurgery is justified by the desire of medicine not only to remove organs, but to restore and preserve the affected body systems.
A modern vascular surgeon must receive a basic higher education, complete an internship, specialize in surgery, and then choose a specific direction of future activity. An angiosurgeon specializes in the treatment/diagnosis/prevention of diseases of the veins, arteries and all internal disorders with vascular etiology.
What is included in the list of duties of a specialist?
An angiosurgeon specializes in all types of diseases that are associated with pathological processes in the vascular and lymphatic system. The doctor also works with some types of cancer. A tumor that grows into or is located next to the veins / arteries is within the competence of the angiosurgeon. The specialist prosthetics vessels that were injured or damaged during surgery, removes congenital pathological vascular formations. One of the professional duties of a doctor is replantation. This is a microsurgery that allows you to replant (“sew” or transplant) amputated limbs or their fragments.
What kind of diseases does an angiosurgeon treat?
The vast majority of patients consult a doctor with atherosclerosis. This is a chronic disease of the arteries, which occurs due to a violation of fat and protein metabolism. Atherosclerosis is accompanied by the deposition of cholesterol (plaques) in the lumen of blood vessels. Gradually, the plaques grow, narrow the lumen, and eventually clog the vessel.
According to statistics, about 80% of the population over 60 years of age suffers from certain vascular disorders and should undergo regular check-ups with a doctor.
An incomplete list of diseases that angiosurgery deals with:
- stroke, heart attack, coronary heart disease;
- atherosclerosis of the vessels of the brain, renal vessels and lower extremities;
- aortic aneurysm;
- thrombophlebitis, pathological lesion of the veins;
- lymphostatus;
- damage to large / small vessels in diabetes mellitus;
- Takayasu, Reynaud, Morfan, Budd-Chiari, Goodpasture syndrome.
What symptoms should you see a doctor for?
Ideally, each person should visit an angiosurgeon once a year. At the age of 1 years and in the presence of specific symptoms, the intervals between visits are set on an individual basis. Monitor your own health to notice and eliminate the disease, preventing exacerbation.
You should consult a doctor with atypical swelling of the limbs, periodic or chronic cramps, decreased sensitivity in the arms and legs. Particular attention should be paid to the deterioration of the condition at night. A person should be alerted by tingling in the limbs, an atypical skin color (black or cyanotic), a burning sensation in the calves and feet, redness, and induration of some parts of the body. Another reason is a headache without an identified etiology. Wounds and ulcers that do not heal on their own, dizziness, lack of coordination, sudden loss of consciousness, fainting, tinnitus are also serious reasons for visiting an angiosurgeon.
Necessary tests and diagnostic methods
To determine the exact diagnosis, the doctor prescribes a combination of several tests. Most often, this is a standard analysis and a biochemical blood test. A general clinical blood test helps to specify the state of the vascular walls, determine the concentration of erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets and hemoglobin. A biochemical blood test helps to assess the functionality of the internal systems of the body, the concentration of certain nutrients and hormones. In addition, the doctor may need a urinalysis, coagulogram or hemostasiogram. A complete list of necessary tests is given by the angiosurgeon at the first consultation.
Diagnostics also consists of a whole complex of manipulations. A specialist may prescribe an MRI angiography to obtain a two-dimensional picture of the vessels, Dopplerography to assess the functionality and speed of blood flow, the condition of the vascular walls and the presence / absence of cholesterol plaques. They can also prescribe echocardiography, endoscopy, tomography, ultrasound examination of not only the affected areas, but also the organs that are responsible for the hormonal background.
The number and features of diagnostic methods are determined by the doctor in each case. Sometimes an angiosurgeon may seek help from specialists from related fields.
Principles of therapy
After a comprehensive diagnosis, the angiosurgeon develops a therapeutic course. What does it consist of? It depends on the specific disease and the current condition of the patient. Most often, combined therapy is used. It provides for medical, compression treatment and sclerotherapy. The drug component is responsible for the use of drugs with subsequent withdrawal. Compressive treatment is used to maintain veins, create an additional frame to relieve tension from the limbs. To do this, use a standard elastic bandage or therapeutic compression underwear. During sclerotherapy, a special drug is injected into the lumen of the vessel. It “glues” the vascular walls, and over time, it dissolves and is excreted from the body. In especially severe cases, surgical intervention is possible.
Is it possible to protect yourself from vascular pathologies? Yes. To do this, it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle, completely abandon bad habits (smoking is one of the factors in the development of atherosclerosis), and normalize physical activity. But the most important component of health is awareness. It is necessary to periodically measure the concentration of sugar in the blood / blood pressure, regularly pass a standard list of tests and visit a vascular surgeon.