Early diagnosis key in treatment of vascular diseases: Doctor V Balaji

Tirupati: Dr V Balaji, senior vascular and endo vascular surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai has said that the advances in the science and technology have helped greatly in the treatment of vascular diseases. Speaking to the media here on Sunday, he said that most of the patients with vascular diseases were now treated by minimally invasive procedures otherwise called endo vascular treatment. With the advent of this treatment, patients can now avoid anaesthesia and get back to normal life quickly.

He added that the commonly performed endovascular procedures for arterial diseases are angioplasty and stenting where a balloon is inserted through a pinhole into the diseased artery and dilated and if required a stent is placed. On the venous side, almost all patients are now treated by pinhole surgery only. Varicose veins which are affecting approximately 30 percent of the population and more common in women can now be easily treated by endo venous radio frequency ablation.

Both can be done with a few hours stay in the hospital and return to work can be assured in one or two days. The vascular diseases are on the rise due to increase in the risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Early diagnosis can benefit the patients with the latest advances, he opined.