Arterial Treatment

The arteries are the tubes which carry blood out from the heart to all the organs and tissues of the body. The oxygen and nutrients in the blood are essential for the health and survival of the tissues.

The diseases of the arteries can largely be broken down into the categories of aneurysms (weaknesses of the walls of the arteries, leading to "ballooning" out of the walls, and may lead to rupture), and occlusive disease (causing inadequate blood circulation to the tissues "downstream" of the blockage, which may lead to pain or even tissue death).

Aneurysms

Aneurysms are areas of major arteries which have a weak wall and are stretching and enlarging. To prevent rupture or blockage, they are treated when the aneurysm size reaches a certain threshhold. The treatment can be either by stenting, or by open surgical reconstruction. The treatment choice will depend on the aneurysm anatomy, and multiple patient factors.

• Aortic aneurysms (abdominal or thoracic)
• Popliteal artery aneurysms
• Other sites eg carotid, mesenteric etc

Occlusive Disease ("blocked arteries")

Depending on which artery the blockage is in, patients can present with stroke (neck arteries), leg cramps during walking (leg arteries), or abdominal pain (bowel arteries). There are multiple options for treatment, with most patients now being able to have minimally invasive treatment (balloon angioplasty or stenting). Some patients will still require open surgery, which involves either removing the plaque or bypassing the blockage with a bypass graft.

• Carotid artery stenosis (plaque in the neck arteries causing stroke)
• Peripheral arterial disease (plaque in the leg arteries causing leg pains when walking)
• Abdominal (i.e. renal or mesenteric) disease
• Upper limb occlusive disease

Other arterial problems

• Popliteal artery entrapment
• Iliac artery endofibrosis
• Carotid body tumour
• Diabetic foot management