Vascular surgery refers to a branch of surgery that is concerned with the diagnosis and management of pathologies of all the vessels (arteries and veins) of the body., with the exception of the intrinsic vessels of the heart and intracranial vessels.

Thus the anatomical regions of interest are varied and include in particular the upper and lower limbs, the thorax, the abdomen, or the cervical region.

The vascular surgeon is the specialist in arterial and venous diseases. These usually show up after strictures, blockages, dilations, or aneurysms. Thus, it is involved in the management of many ailments. These include:

• an aortic aneurysm, that is, localized dilation of the artery;
• an atheromatous disease, which narrows the caliber of the arteries and causes a lack of irrigation of the organs;
• carotid stenosis, defined by the narrowing of the carotid arteries (in the neck);
• a phlebitis, which corresponds to the formation of a clot in a vein, and its complication pulmonary embolism;
• or varicose veins, namely dilations of the veins.

Some people are at greater risk for blood vessel disorders. Here are some recognized risk factors:

• family history;
• age;
• high blood pressure ;
• obesity;
• diabetes ;
• lack of physical exercise;
• physical inactivity ;
• have high blood pressure;
• or smoking (especially for the aortic aneurysm) (³).

Any surgery, whatever it is, can present risks during the operation (risks of anesthetics, hemorrhages, infections, etc.) and complications afterwards.

It is also the role of the vascular surgeon to clearly explain the details, the difficulties and the risks of the surgical intervention he will perform.

In France

To become a vascular surgeon, you must obtain a Diploma of Complementary Specialized Studies (DESC) in vascular surgery. This is a so-called type II DESC, which lasts 3 years. To do this, you must first hold a DES (diploma of specialized studies) in general surgery, namely the diploma that the student obtains at the end of the general surgery internship which lasts 5 years:

• after having completed 6 years of medical study;
• and after having passed the national classifying tests at the end of 6th year, which allow access to the boarding school.

Finally, to be able to practice and carry the title of doctor, the student must also defend a research thesis.

Note that with a DESC type II, the young doctor is entitled to the specialist qualification corresponding to the title of the diploma. His new specialty replaces that of his DES.

In Quebec

After college studies, the student must:

• follow a doctorate in medicine, lasting 1 or 4 years (with or without a preparatory year for medicine for students admitted with a college or university training deemed insufficient in basic biological sciences);
• then specialize by following a residency in vascular surgery for 5 years (including 2 years of surgical foundations).

Before seeing a vascular surgeon, it is important to take any recent prescriptions, any x-rays, scans or even MRIs performed.

To find a vascular surgeon:

• in Quebec, you can consult the website of the association of vascular surgeons of Quebec (4);
• in France, via the website of the Ordre des médecins (5).

When the consultation is prescribed by an attending physician, it is covered by the Health Insurance (France) or the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec.