Angiology and Vascular Surgery at UPMC
At UPMC's Department of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, you will find qualified personnel to diagnose and treat any problem related to blood vessel systems. At UPMC, we can treat disorders affecting veins and arteries that can affect different systems within the body.
The interventions can be carried out endovascularly or minimally invasively and can be done on an outpatient basis duringday surgery or after standard hospitalisation.
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At UPMC, we offer angiological diagnostic examinations and services at the following facility:
Diagnostics, Treatments, and Surgery in UPMC
At UPMC, you can undergo diagnostics and specialist and surgical treatments, including:
- Vascular diagnostics: A fundamental tool for prevention, it allows the detection of cardiovascular diseases. These are very different pathologies: among the most serious is stroke and among the most common and widespread are varicose veins.
- Prevention and treatment of peripheral arterial disease: Peripheral arterial disease is a reduction in blood supply to the arteries of the upper and lower extremities. It is caused by the accumulation of fat (cholesterol) on the walls of the arteries and is often related to their hardening (arteriosclerosis).
- Treatment and microsurgery of lymphedema: Lymphedema is a pathology manifested by swelling in the tissues of the upper or lower extremities. It is due to the abnormal accumulation of lymph fluid, which would normally be filtered by the lymph nodes. It can rarely evolve into a malignant condition.
- Surgical treatments for venous insufficiency: A procedure designed for the disorder commonly known as varicose veins, present mainly in the legs and feet. Varicose veins are swollen and enlarged veins, and signal the failure of the valves inside them. For this disorder, UPMC also offers safenectomy treatments for stripping, ovariectomy, and sclerotherapy.
- Treatment of ulcerative lesions, cardiovascular malformations and angiomas: The latter are a particular type of vascular tumor. They manifest themselves through the irregular proliferation of certain blood or lymphatic vessels in circumscribed areas of the skin. They can be either congenital or acquired.
- Vascular surgery for the treatment of aneurysms and other problems: Aneurysms are abnormal and permanent dilations of the arterial or venous wall, often caused by trauma. In severe cases, dilation can lead to rupture of the vessel and subsequent internal bleeding.
- Vascular access surgery for dialysis: Vascular access is an intravenous device (often a cannula) that allows communication with the patient's venous system. It can remove the waste produced by the body and transmitted through the blood.
- Phlebological surgery: Phlebology is the branch of Angiology that deals specifically with pathologies related to the venous system.
Angiology and Vascular Surgery Services We Provide
At UPMC, you can receive a wide range of diagnostic tests. These often involve professionals in different medical areas and can be invasive or non-invasive.
One of the most precise and widespread diagnostic tools in angiology is the echocolordoppler. It is a short-term examination (between 15 and 20 minutes) and is completely non-invasive. It produces color images of the main blood vessels present in the body with the use of ultrasound.
It allows specialists to check in real time the speed and direction of blood flow and to observe problems that would not be highlighted by any symptoms. Echocolordoppler is also useful for verifying the success of a surgical treatment already carried out.
Among the various types of echocolordoppler available in UPMC, we conduct:
- Arterial, upper and lower limb echocolordoppler: This allows doctors to evaluate the correct targeting of specific areas.
- Venous echocolordoppler: This measures the structure of the most superficial veins (the "saphenous"), and their ability to push the blood upwards. It can also be used to diagnose any thrombosis in the deep veins. Thrombi are blood clots that clog or slow down normal blood circulation.
- Echocolordoppler of the vessels of the neck: It allows you to assess the ability of the vessels to make blood flow inside them without creating obstructions. It also allows specialists to see the regular flow of blood to the brain through the neck.
- Echocolordoppler of the abdominal aorta and large vessels of the abdomen: With this examination, it is possible to observe the possible dilation of the aorta.
- Echocolordoppler of the intracranial district: It allows the study of intracranial vessels and blood flow in the brain.
Who are UPMC Angiology and Vascular Surgery and Diagnostic Services for?
UPMC's angiological diagnostic services are indicated for all those who experience symptoms associated with specific problems, including:
- Aneurysms
- Chronic obstructive arterial diseases.
- Carotid stenosis.
- Varicose veins and venous thrombosis.
- Lymphedema.
Our diagnostic services are also suitable for the control of abnormalities for hemodialysis, as well as for post-surgery checks.
