Vascular Surgery

Your blood vessels do important work, delivering blood throughout your body. At University of Missouri Health Care, we are committed to providing you with the best vascular care, using the latest techniques to keep your blood vessels healthy and help you feel better.

Our nationally renowned vascular surgeons have the skills and expertise you need when facing vascular diseases, and they deliver comprehensive care using minimally invasive treatments tailored to your condition.

We can help you with a wide range of vascular conditions and services, including:

• Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms.
• Aortic dissections.
• Cerebrovascular and carotid disease.
• Dialysis access including peritoneal dialysis.
• Mesenteric or visceral ischemia (poor blood flow to the intestines).
• Peripheral vascular disease.
• Venous disease (varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency).

Advanced vascular care

As providers at an academic health center, MU Health Care physicians are researchers who stay up-to-date on the latest treatments. As one of our patients, you have access to the latest medicines, clinical trials and procedures to improve your vascular health. Our expert surgeons also teach the next generation of vascular surgeons through residency and fellowship training.

Our vascular surgery team performs the majority of our procedures in an advanced hybrid operating room. Our surgical suites can function as both minimally invasive catheterization labs and traditional operating rooms for open surgeries, giving you all the care you need in one place. Additionally, we have access to alternative operating rooms and endovascular suites to get the care you need in a timely fasion.

We offer comprehensive treatments, including:

• Open or traditional vascular surgery.
• Minimally invasive endovascular surgery.
• Hybrid interventions (Endo and Open), combining the best of both procedures.
• Non-invasive or diagnostic testing.

Our vascular surgeons use techniques and tools that can lower your exposure to radiation. Though vascular surgeries commonly require the use of X-rays to see veins and arteries, our doctors use specialized Ocelot catheters when appropriate. These thin catheters have tiny lighted cameras on the end, reducing the need for X-rays. Ocelot catheters also allow our physicians to use a small drill to remove dangerous large blockages called chronic total occlusions. By using these advanced tools, we help more patients achieve greater outcomes with fewer risks compared to traditional surgery.

We understand medicine is a multidisciplinary field and perioperative care is crucial for the best outcomes. Our team works closely with our anesthesia and critical care teams to ensure every patient gets the best care possible to help them through even the most complex surgical situations.

During vascular surgery, our surgeons repair your blood vessels to restore blood flow. Depending on your condition, the vessels may be cleared of plaque build-up, widened to allow more blood flow, held open by a stent, closed off from blood flow or even removed. The ultimate goal with each surgery is to promote healthy blood flow using the most minimally invasive procedure possible.

Learn more about Heart & Vascular Care at MU Health Care.