Endovascular Therapy
Endovascular surgery is a form of minimally invasive surgery that was designed to access many regions of the body via major blood vessels.
Endovascular techniques were originally designed for diagnostic purposes. Basic diagnostic techniques involve the introduction of a catheter percutaneously or through the skin, into a large blood vessel, typically at the top of the leg. The catheter is then injected with a contrast dye that can be seen on live x-ray or fluoroscopy. As the dye courses through the arteries a roadmap of normal and stenotic or occluded blood vessels is revealed.
In recent years the development of intravascular balloons, stents and coils have allowed for new therapies as alternatives to traditional surgery. Stents and coils are composed of fine metal alloys that can be inserted through a thin catheter into diseased blood vessels and expanded into a predetermined shape.
A common and advanced form of endovascular surgery taking place today is Endovascular Aneurysm Repair. This is a minimally invasive technique developed to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).
One of the most durable and rapidly beneficial endovascular treatments involves improving the circulation to the legs by dilating narrowed arteries in the pelvis, or iliac artery angioplasty. This procedure can safely be performed as an outpatient or short-stay procedure and the circulation to the lower legs can be improved enough to significantly impact a patient's ability to walk without leg and/or hip pain.
Renal artery stenosis is the narrowing of the artery thatsupplies the kidneys. It is caused by atherosclerosis or fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). This can lead to deterioration of the affected kidney. If left untreated it can lead to renal failure. Treatment of renal artery stenosis may be necessary if the blood pressure cannot be controlled medically, or if kidney function deteriorates. Angioplasty with stenting has been found to be safe and effective in this context.