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The Vascular System |
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Vascular Disease : Commonly Asked Questions |
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What does vascular mean? |
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The word vascular refers to our body's circulatory system - the blood vessels which carry blood from the heart to the body's organs (the arteries) and from the organs back to the heart (the veins). |
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What is vascular disease? |
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Vascular disease refers to the unhealthy changes which occur in our blood vessels as we age. |
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The most common disease process is known as atherosclerosis, ie. hardening of the arteries. This is the deposition of plaque, a combination of cholesterol, fat, calcium, etc., in the artery wall, making the artery wall stiff and "hard". As the plaque gets larger, like sludge in a pipe, arterial blockage and poor circulation occur. |
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Another common disease process is known as aneurysmal degeneration of an artery. This is a process in which the artery wall weakens, develops an ever-enlarging blister (aneurysm) which, if untreated, ruptures, causing death. |
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What are the symptoms of poor circulation? |
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In the legs, symptoms include charley-horse like cramping of the buttocks and/or calves after walking a certain distance. More advanced poor circulation to the legs results in non-healing sores on the feet, gangrene or a tooth-ache like pain in the toes and forefoot. |
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Poor circulation to the brain due to blockage or hardening of neck arteries is one of the leading causes of stroke. |
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What are the symptoms of Aneurysms? |
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Unfortunately, aneurysms cause no symptoms. Because of the risk of rupture, they must be identified by either physical examination or ultrasound testing. |
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How is the diagnosis of poor circulation made? |
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By a thorough history and physical examination plus the use of ultrasound and doppler to quantitate the degree of blockage. |
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What risk factors contribute to vascular disease? |
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Smoking, Hypertension (high blood pressure), High Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Obesity, Genetic Factors, Diabetes Mellitus. |
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Vascular System Chart |
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In my husband's case, he has atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). He's already had the first surgery to help re-rout and repair the problem in the middle part of his body. They also did the grown area on the right side. In about a month or two, the surgeons will do his legs and repair the aneurysm behind his one knee. |
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These are the people who have done the surgery on my husband for his vascular needs. They've done a wonderful job so far, and they answer our questions and concerns without any problems whatsoever. It isn't often that I hear my husband give praise to people for a job well done, but he has nothing but good things to say about these people. |
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Michigan Vascular Center is located at:
G-5020 W. Bristol Road
Flint, MI 48507
(810) 732-1620
Fax (810) 732-8559
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The physicians form a carefully chosen team of specially trained doctors who are dedicated exclusively to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of blood vessel disease and injury.
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Michigan Vascular Center is conveniently located at G-5020 W. Bristol Road (northwest corner of Bristol and Linden). Our office is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm., Monday through Friday (except holidays) and they are located in Flint, Michigan. Refer to the map below. |
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