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Diagnostic and Therapeutic Treatment for Vascular Disease Available Right Here

Southcoast Hospitals Group offers a wide variety of diagnostic and therapeutic services for community members who have diseases of the arteries and veins. While only a physician can help decide which course of action is best for each patient, the following services are offered at one or more Southcoast hospital.

Diagnostic Services:

Angiography

Diagnostic imaging of blood vessels with the injection of contrast dye through a catheter.

Ankle Brachial Index

The ankle brachial index (ABI) evaluates blood circulation in legs. It also can be used to follow the improvement or worsening of leg circulation over time. ABI is obtained by measuring blood pressure in the ankle and in the arm.

CT Angiography

Computerized tomographic angiography, also called CT angiography or CTA, combines the technology of a conventional CT scan with traditional angiography to create detailed images of the blood vessels in the body.

Duplex Ultrasound

Duplex ultrasound shows how blood is flowing through vessels and measures the speed of the flow of blood. It also can estimate the diameter of a blood vessel as well as the amount of obstruction, if any, in the blood vessel.

MRI Angiogram

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce two-dimensional or three-dimensional images of the structures inside the body, such as the heart, brain or blood vessels. When this scanning method is applied to the blood vessels, it also is sometimes referred to as MRA (magnetic resonance angiography).

Venography

Diagnostic imaging of the veins with the injection of contrast dye through a catheter.

Treatment:

Arterial Stent

A small, self-expanding, stainless steel mesh tube that is placed within an artery to keep the vessel open.

Balloon Angioplasty

Insertion of a small balloon into a blocked artery, which is then inflated to push obstructing plaque against the arterial wall and improve blood flow. In peripheral artery disease (PAD) this is used to restore blood flow mainly in leg arteries.

Endarterectomy

Endarterectomy is the surgical removal of plaque from an artery that has become narrowed or blocked. A variety of surgical techniques can be used to remove plaque.

Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT)

EVLT is used to treat varicose veins and is performed in an outpatient setting.

Surgical Bypass

This vascular surgery treats narrowed arteries by creating a bypass around the section of the artery that is blocked. During a bypass procedure, your vascular surgeon creates a new pathway for blood flow using a graft. A graft can be a portion of one the patient’s veins or a synthetic material.

Thoracic or Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Stent-Graft Repair

This surgical procedure uses a fabric tube (graft) supported by metal mesh (stent). It can be used for a variety of conditions involving the blood vessels, but most commonly to reinforce a weak spot in an artery called an aneurysm.

Venous Angioplasty

The use of angioplasty to treat clots and stenoses (narrowing) in veins.