Page 24 - • waterfall_11_Oct2020.indd

Waterfall News

Aneurysms
Some blood vessels, particularly arteries, bulge and may
even burst, much like a balloon. These localised arterial
bulges, called aneurysms, can be life-threatening. The
best way of diagnosing an aneurysm is with an abdominal
ultrasound performed by your vascular surgeon, who will
then identify the most suitable way to treat it. Aneurysms
can be treated by stent-grafts or open surgery. Advances
deep vein thrombosis (dvT) in technology have made the treatment of aneurysms
DVT occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in a much safer procedure than it was a few years ago.
one or more of the deep veins in your body, usually
in your legs. Deep vein thrombosis can cause leg pain Other conditions include:
or swelling, but it can also occur with no symptoms. • Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Carotid artery disease
Deep vein thrombosis can develop if you have certain • Critical limb ischaemia
medical conditions that affect how your blood clots. It can • Peripheral vascular disease
also occur if you don’t move for a long time, such as after • Vascular malformation.
surgery, an accident, or when you’re confined to bed.
The most common treatment options for
Deep vein thrombosis can be a serious condition vascular conditions are:
because blood clots in your veins can break loose,
travel through your bloodstream and lodge in your Angioplasty
lungs, blocking blood flow (pulmonary embolism). This involves unblocking
a narrowed or blocked
There are several ways to treat DVT – conservatively, blood vessel. Generally, a
the clots can be vacuumed, again this falls in the realm of wire is passed through the
the vascular surgeon. narrowing in the artery.
A small deflated balloon

peripheral artery disease (pAd) is then threaded over
Arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body. the wire to the site of
Atherosclerosis is the process where these vessels become maximal narrowing. It
narrowed and blocked by fatty cholesterol deposits. is inflated when in the
narrowest section and
this opens up the vessel.

Stenting
This involves a similar
procedure except that a
tiny wire cage is placed over the balloon as it is passed into
the area of the most significant narrowing. As the balloon is
inflated, it expands the cylindrical wire cage, and this holds
the vessel open after the balloon is deflated and removed.

As the vessels narrow, pain in a limb may arise Embolectomy
when exercising. A person with a narrowed leg This involves removing a clot from within a blood
artery may get calf pain when they walk. This vessel. It is usually an open surgical procedure.
is called intermittent claudication. As these
constrictions worsen, pain may occur at rest. Bypass operation
When a vessel is irreversibly narrowed or blocked, a surgical
Finally, if an artery becomes completely blocked, bypass is often performed. A new segment of vessel (usually
the part of the body supplied by that artery may a vein or another artery) is attached to the original vessel at
be irreversibly damaged. If this occurs to a limb, either side of the narrowing and bypasses the blockage.
it will become pale, pulseless, cold, numb and Dr D A le Roux is President-Elect of the Vascular Association of Southern
paralysed, ultimately leading to gangrene. Vascular Africa, and South African Councillor for the European Society of Vascular
surgeons specialise in treating this condition. Surgery.

22 Waterfall Issue 11 2020