Vascular Surgery

Vascular surgery covers, the diseases of arteries of veins other than the heart's itself. Vascular diseases increase rapidly due to the eleveation of life expectancy in time. In Turkey, population over 65 was 3.5% in 1985 and it reached 7% in 2005. Additionally, today, since people’s life expectancy has increased, vascular diseases have a negative effect on the life duration and quality of elder population.

In Turkey vascular surgery, is in a hybrid state with cardiac surgery as cardiovascular surgery. However in many EU countries and USA vascular surgery is a independant speciality. In these countries cardiac surgeons and vascular surgeons are sseperate, and deal solely with their speciality. Especially, with the developping of endovascular surgery (opening blood vessels by balloons and stents) in recent years, some part of vascular surgery has been performed in this way. In certain cases, results become better when both open and endovascular surgeries are combined.

In this web site, you will find information and my personal experiences on major vasular diseases, vascular surgery and endovascular surgery.

Regards,

Murat Kayabalı, MD

Arterial Diseases of Lower Extremity

The most common reason of stenosis or occlusion of lower extremity is athersclerosis. Among the risk factors of atherosclerosis; smoking, high blood cholesterol level, cardio-vascular diseases in the family history, obesity, diabetes can be listed.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

If the diameter of an artery increase more than 50% of its normal diameter is called an aneurysm. In most cases, the reason is the reduction of the substances, which provide flexibility of arterial wall, due to age.

Carotid Artery Diseases

Carotid stenosis and occlusions are directly related to strokes that may end in the loss of some brain functions, temporarily or permanently. Since its most important cause is atherosclerosis, it is commonly seen together with other heart and arterial diseases.

Varices

Energy providing substances required by body cells and the oxygen needed to utilize these are sent from the heart to the tissues through arteries. The energy substances and oxygen in this sent blood are used by the tissues, waste materials are added to this blood and they are returned to the heart by the veins in order to be cleaned.