Vascular Surgery

Crozer Health's vascular and endovascular specialists address the conditions that can cause limb loss for those at greatest risk. Our physicians are skilled at diagnosing the problem and helping you choose the right treatment options that achieve the best possible results.

Conditions Treated with Vascular Surgery

Crozer Health's vascular and endovascular specialists treat the following vascular disorders:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA): An enlargement or ballooning of the aorta, which is the main artery of the chest and abdomen, caused by progressive weakening of the artery wall. An AAA can grow slowly within your abdomen, often without any symptoms.
• Carotid artery disease: A build-up of plaque or hardening of arteries by atherosclerosis that impairs blood flow to the brain.
• Peripheral vascular disease: Affects circulation in the legs and feet, often resulting in pain and disability. It is most often caused by atherosclerosis, which narrows the blood vessels.
• Chronic venous insufficiency: Occurs when leg veins do not allow blood to travel back to the heart. Chronic venous insufficiency does not pose a serious health threat, but the condition can be disabling and cause pain.
• Varicose veins: Twisted and enlarged veins, commonly in your legs and feet.

Vascular Procedures

Angioplasty

In an angioplasty, doctors use  a catheter with a small balloon at its tip. Once the catheter has been guided to the proper place in the heart, the balloon is filled with air. The inflated balloon presses the plaque against the wall of the artery to improve blood flow. In some cases, a catheter may be used to remove a blood clot. Crozer Health has performed more than 5,000 of these procedures since 1992.

Stenting

Using catheterization, arteries are reopened by inflating a tiny balloon at the site of the blockage (“angioplasty”). Sometimes a stent, which is shaped like a tiny tube, is inserted to maintain the passageway. When used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm, the aneurysm shrinks onto the stent.

Carotid Endarterectomy

In this procedure, your doctor will surgically remove plaque that builds up inside the carotid artery. Carotid endarterectomy is used to treat carotid artery disease and can help to reduce the risk of stroke.

Surgical Bypass

A surgical bypass is created to route blood flow around a blockage caused by peripheral arterial disease. The bypass is created by grafting a piece of a patient's vein from another part of their body above and below the blocked area of a coronary artery. That allows blood to flow around the obstruction.

Thrombolysis

Thrombolysis, also known as thrombolytic therapy, is a treatment to improve blood flow and dissolve blood clots. Thrombolytic therapy can be delivered broadly using a peripheral IV or delivered directly to the clot using a catheter.

Additional Vascular Services

Dialysis Access

Patients with advanced renal disease who receive kidney dialysis need a connection between the bloodstream and the dialysis machine. Surgeons work with a specialist in kidney disease to choose the best type of dialysis access for each patient.

Wound Management

When people have vascular disease, it may be difficult for wounds on their armns and legs to heal. Specialists work with the patients’ primary care physicians to care for these wounds and prevent complications.

Schedule an Appointment

To request a vascular appointment, please call 1-866-95-PULSE (1-866-957-8573) or request an appointment online.