Vascular Medicine

Vascular medicine is involved with the evaluation and management of diseases and disorders relating to the

arteries,

veins

and

lymph system

. Arterial diseases include:

atherosclerosis

(fatty deposits inside arteries); aortic diseases; renal (kidney) artery disease; mesenteric vascular disease (involving one of the large veins which return blood from the intestines); cerebrovascular disease (involving the brain); arterial thrombosis and embolism (clots and obstructions); and other disorders.

Venous diseases

include venous thrombosis (clots), chronic venous insufficiency (problems sending blood from the legs back to the heart), and varicose veins (swollen, twisted veins, usually in the leg). Lymphatic diseases include forms of lymphoedema, which is a blockage of the lymph vessels that drain fluid from tissues throughout the body and allow immune cells to travel where they are needed.