In the human body, the vascular system is made up of more than 60,000 miles of blood vessels that connect and support vital body functions. Vascular conditions can present anywhere along this astoundingly large network, and so vascular conditions can develop in many different parts of the human body.
Our licensed and board certified vascular surgeons at the surgical clinic are highly trained professionals who are committed to providing the most excellent care for each and every one of our patients.
Here we will cover some of the most common vascular conditions and diseases and the kinds of treatments we offer at The Surgical Clinic.
TYPES OF VASCULAR CONDITIONS
ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM (AAA)
The aorta is an artery that runs through your abdomen down to the lower half of your body. An aneurysm is a swelling of the artery that also stretches the walls of the artery–making them prone to rupture.
A ruptured AAA is very dangerous and life-threatening. If undetected, a rupture will cause severe internal bleeding.
Symptoms:
Typically no symptoms unless ruptured.
Signs of a Growing Aneurysm
Back pain
Abdominal pain
Pulsing sensation around the navel
Signs of a Ruptured Aneurysm
Clammy skin
Dizziness
Fainting
Unusually fast heartbeat
Nausea
Vomiting
Shortness of breath
Severe acute pain
Treatments:
Open aneurysm repair surgery
Stent placement surgery
Endovascular aneurysm repair surgery
ATHEROSCLEROSIS
Defined as a thickening of your vein walls. Atherosclerosis often occurs with one or more other vascular conditions and leads to problems with varicose veins, spider veins, carotid artery disease, and more.
The thickening of the blood vessel walls occurs due to the build-up of cholesterol plaque in the arteries.
Symptoms:
Typically atherosclerosis doesn’t cause any immediate symptoms unless a deposit of cholesterol breaks off and blocks the artery or vein. Other signs that you might have atherosclerosis resemble symptoms of other vascular diseases, including:
Poor wound healing
Heart attacks
Mini-strokes
Erectile dysfunction
Treatments:
Coronary stent placement surgery
Angioplasty
Blood thinner medications
Anticoagulant medications
Regular exercise
Healthy diet
Weight loss
PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE (PAD)
Also known as peripheral arterial disease, PAD is a condition that involves poor blood flow to and from the arms and legs. Usually, these blood flow problems have to do with narrowing in the blood vessels due to plaque deposits.
Symptoms:
Leg pain, especially while walking
Numbness or weakness in the legs
Weak or no pulse in the legs or feet
Changes in skin color and texture in the legs
Sores on the legs and feet that heal slowly or not at all
Treatments:
Blood pressure medication
Cholesterol reducing medication
Blood thinners
Pain relievers for leg pain
Angioplasty
Stent placement surgery
Arterial bypass surgery
Thrombolytic therapy
PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE (PVD)
This condition is a slow and progressive circulatory disease that involves the narrowing of the blood vessels including the arteries, veins, and lymph vessels. Causes of PVD include injuries to the arms and legs, infection, and anatomical irregularities in the muscles or ligaments.
Risk factors for PVD include smoking, age, heart disease, gender, and family history of high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Symptoms:
Decreased skin temperature
Brittle shiny skin
Thinning skin texture around the legs and feet
Weak pulses
Leg hair loss
Impotence
Tissue damage and necrosis (gangrene)
Wounds that refuse to heal on the heels or ankles
Muscle weakness, numbness, or heaviness
Burning or aching pains
Discoloration in the arms, legs, or feet
Thick and opaque toenails
Vein pains
Treatments:
Blood thinners
Self-care and lifestyle changes
Vascular bypass surgery
Stenting
Angioplasty
CAROTID ARTERY DISEASE/CAROTID ARTERY STENOSIS
Carotid artery disease involves a narrowing of the blood vessels in the neck due to cholesterol plaque build-up. This disease also increases the risk of stroke in patients. Risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, age, and high cholesterol.
Symptoms:
Acute numbness in the face, arms, or legs
Sudden muscle weakness in the face, arms, or legs
Sudden trouble speaking or seeing
Dizziness
Loss of balance
Sudden severe headache
Treatments:
Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR)
Lifestyle changes
Carotid angioplasty
Carotid stenting
Blood pressure medication
CHRONIC VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY (CVI)
This condition is characterized by poor blood flow in the legs due to poor valve function in the leg veins. Causes of venous insufficiency include smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, blood clots in the deep veins, swelling, inflammation, and high blood pressure.
Symptoms:
Leg swelling
Ankle swelling
Pain, itching, or tightness in the calves
Pain when walking
Brown discoloration of the skin
Varicose veins and spider veins
Venous leg ulcers
Restless leg syndrome
Muscle cramps
Muscle spasms
Treatments:
Exercise
Blood thinners
Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA)
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
Sclerotherapy
Diuretics
Raising your legs
Vein ligation surgery
CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD)
CAD is the most common type of heart disease and is characterized by plaque building up along the sides of the arteries that feed blood to the heart. CAD can be an early warning sign of heart attacks.
Symptoms of CAD:
Chest pain
Weakness
Light-headedness
Nausea
Cold sweats
Pain in the arms
Shoulder pain
Shortness of breath
Treatments for CAD:
Physical exercise
Eating a healthy diet
Blood thinners
Angioplasty
Beta-blockers
Statin
PULMONARY EMBOLISM (PE)
When a blood clot in the extremities breaks off in the veins and travels to the lungs, it is called a pulmonary embolism. This condition is very dangerous and life-threatening. One of the greatest risk factors for PE is DVT.
Symptoms of Pulmonary Embolism:
Shortness of breath
Difficulty breathing
Chest pain
Coughing
Treatments:
Blood thinners
Clot dissolvers
Compression stockings
Regular exercise
CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE
Is actually an umbrella term for a group of conditions that restrict or otherwise affect blood flow to the brain. These conditions include aneurysms, carotid stenosis, strokes, and arteriovenous malformations. Narrowing of the veins (atherosclerosis) is one of the main causes of cerebrovascular disease.
Symptoms:
Sudden severe headaches
Paralysis of one side of the body (hemiplegia)
Weakness of one side of the body (hemiparesis)
Difficulty thinking
Confusion
Slurred speech
Losing vision in one eye
Loss of balance
Losing unconsciousness
Treatments:
Emergency room treatments
Thrombectomy
Carotid angioplasty
Stenting
Carotid endarterectomy
HIGH CHOLESTEROL
Having a high concentration of cholesterol in your blood can lead to atherosclerosis or a narrowing of your veins. Eating a diet high in cholesterol and fat can increase the buildup of plaque in your veins. Exercise and changing your diet are the main two ways you can reduce your cholesterol levels on your own.
Cholesterol-lowering medications may be prescribed if your doctor recommends them for your treatment regimen.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a condition that develops as your blood flows through your veins and arteries at particularly high-pressure rates. There are 3 stages of high blood pressure that are defined by the systolic and diastolic numbers your doctor sees when performing a blood pressure test.
INTERMITTENT CLAUDICATION
This condition is a pain that is induced by exercise due to poor circulation. Usually, this pain shows up in the calf, but it can also occur in the thigh and buttock. The main cause of this condition is PAD. Note that any pain you experience from this condition will dissipate or go away while you rest
Treatments:
A prescribed walking exercise program
Medications for blood pressure, pain, cholesterol, or blood clots
Angioplasty
RAYNAUD’S DISEASE/RAYNAUD’S SYNDROME
This condition affects some extremities in the body due to poor circulation. The most noticeable symptom is the extremities, like the fingers or toes, will feel cold and become discolored.
Raynaud’s is caused by a narrowing of the small arteries that supply blood to your extremities. There are also two types of Raynaud’s disease: Primary and Secondary. Primary Raynaud’s typically resolves on its own, but Secondary Raynaud’s is usually related to a different underlying condition.
Treatment:
Calcium channel blockers
Vasodilators
Nerve surgery
Botox injections
RENAL VASCULAR DISEASE
An umbrella term for a group of conditions that affect the blood that goes into and out of the kidneys. These conditions include renal artery stenosis, renal artery thrombosis, and renal artery aneurysm. Treatment for renal vascular disease will be based on which condition you have and the overall effect the disease has on your health.
Treatments:
Renal arterial bypass surgery
Renal artery stenting
Angioplasty
Anticoagulant prescription drugs (blood thinner)
DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS (DVT)
DVT refers to a blood clot that has developed in the deep veins–usually one of the veins in the legs. It can be hard to detect DVT, and usually, there are no immediate symptoms. However, more obvious conditions like varicose veins or spider veins can be an indicator of DVT.
Symptoms:
Leg swelling
Acute shortness of breath
Chest pain or discomfort
Lightheadedness
Dizziness
Fainting
Coughing up blood
Fast pulse
Rapid shallow breathing
Treatments:
Compression stockings
Anticoagulant medication
“Clot busters” or thrombolytic medication
Vein filter placement
POOR CIRCULATION
A condition that can cause many different symptoms throughout your body. Poor circulation may also be a symptom of other underlying vascular conditions.
Signs of Poor Circulation:
Sore muscles when walking
Feeling “pins and needles”
Pale or blue-ish skin discoloration
Your toes or fingers feeling cold
Numbness
Chest pain
Bulging veins
Varicose veins
Spider Veins
Swelling
THORACIC AORTIC ANEURYSM
This is a weak spot or a bulge in the main artery in your chest–or the aorta. Just like with AAA, the longer a thoracic artery aneurysm goes without treatment, the greater risk of a rupture. Ruptured aneurysms are life-threatening and need emergency care. However, if they can be detected, they can be repaired.
Symptoms of a Thoracic Aneurysm:
Back pain
Cough
Hoarse voice
Shortness of breath
Pain in the chest
Symptoms of a Ruptured Thoracic Aneurysm:
Sudden sharp pain in the upper back that spreads downward
Chest pain
Pain in the arms, neck, or jaw
Trouble breathing
Drop in blood pressure
Fainting
Shortness of breath
Difficulty swallowing
VARICOSE VEINS AND SPIDER VEINS
Vein disease occurs when blood becomes pooled or trapped in the veins and then swell and twist as a result. Spider veins are smaller twisted veins that appear near the surface of the skin or in areas where your skin is thin. Varicose veins typically appear on the legs.
Symptoms:
Knotted twisting veins
Discolored veins
Small spider web-like veins
Heaviness in the legs
Soreness in the legs
Treatments:
Sclerotherapy
Venous ablation
Vein ligation
Venous stripping
VenaSeal
Compression stockings
VENOUS STASIS ULCERS
When the blood flow to any part of the body becomes impeded, wounds and sores have a harder time healing. Chronic venous insufficiency can cause large open sores to open in the lower legs that refuse to heal.
Symptoms:
Cuts and wounds that refuse to heal
Ulcers that ooze or smell foul
Treatments:
Wound care
Compression stockings
Antibacterial ointment
Oral antibiotics
Leg elevation
Anti-inflammatory medications
Exercise
Visit With a Vascular Surgeon in Nashville, TN
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