CKHS Vascular and Endovascular Specialists Offer Cutting-Edge Treatments

In Brief

Vascular surgery has undergone many changes and innovations within the past decade. Noninvasive and minimally invasive medical and surgical care is a growing trend that has significantly improved the outcomes of vascular diseases.

As a result of these advancements, patients have benefited with reduced hospital stays, shorter recovery time and less pain, and an improved quality of life.

At Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Delaware County Memorial Hospital and Taylor Hospital, vascular and endovascular specialists are providing state-of-the-art procedures to the residents of Delaware County. The practices are focused on providing minimally invasive treatments for vascular diseases, while also offering traditional open surgical procedures to meet the needs of patients.

“In recent years, the field of vascular surgery has undergone a series of refinements and alterations,” says Fritz Bech, M.D., chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at Crozer and medical director of the Non-Invasive Vascular Laboratories at Crozer and Taylor. “Conditions that were once treated with complicated and high-risk open surgeries can now be treated with minimally invasive procedures. Because the newer techniques are less invasive, we can now safely treat patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms who are not candidates for the more demanding open aneurysm repair.”

As part of the recent advances, Christopher Smith, M.D., recently performed a new procedure to treat peripheral vascular disease (PVD). A disease that affects an estimated 12 million Americans, PVD causes the blood vessels in the legs, abdomen, pelvis, arms or neck to become narrowed or blocked. For many patients, this means living with recurrent pain and numbness and could potentially lead to amputation.

Traditionally treated with angioplasty and stenting, Smith and his colleagues are now treating the disease with angioplasty and cryoplasty.

“Treating patients with angioplasty and stenting has been successful in the past,” Smith says. “However, there is the risk of an inflammatory response that leads to restenosis, or reclogging, of a previously opened vessel. This would result in the need for another angioplasty or stenting procedure.”

During the cryoplasty procedure, a balloon is filled with liquid nitrous oxide, causing the balloon to inflate and cool to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. This, in turn, is believed to open up the artery while doing less damage than standard interventional therapies. The plaque cracks when it freezes, allowing a more uniform opening of the vessel. Research has shown that this procedure is clinically effective and reduces reclogging and the need for another angioplasty.

In addition to the cryoplasty, the Crozer-Keystone hospitals are also offering new alternatives to individuals with varicose veins.

“Endovenous obliteration is a minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat varicose veins,” says William Mannella, M.D., chairman of the Department of Surgery at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. “With the use of a catheter, ultrasound and radiofrequency ablation, the offending vein can be destroyed without traditional open surgery.”

The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, with results showing reduced swelling and less pain following surgery. Patients are also returning to full function much faster.

“As techniques continue to evolve and minimally invasive procedures continue to play a more prominent role in vascular surgery, we’re able to assist more people who in the past were not good candidates or healthy enough for surgery,” says Homayoon Pasdar, M.D., chief of the Section of Vascular and Thoracic Surgery at DCMH. “On the other hand, these procedures also allow us to assist patients whose condition is chronic but not severe enough to undergo open surgery.”

To find a vascular surgeon who’s right for you, call 1-800-CK-HEALTH (1-800-254-3258).