Services

Vascular surgery is the medical specialty that provides comprehensive care to patients with artery and vein disorders. The Vascular Center of Northern Michigan is at the cutting edge of new therapies and procedures that use minimally invasive surgery to treat vascular diseases and disorders.

Diagnosis begins in our onsite non-invasive vascular laboratory. Treatments often begin with risk factor modifications, including diet, exercise, programs to stop smoking, and drugs to control high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol. Treatment may continue with catheter/stent treatments and if necessary, traditional open surgical approaches  Each treatment is precisely tailored to the individual patient’s needs to provide maximum benefit with the least possible risk.

Although we diagnose and treat all non-cardiac vascular diseases and disorders, the three most prominent include:

Carotid Artery Disease
involves the carotid arteries that carry blood from the heart up through the neck into the brain. The combination of weakened vessels from plaque build-up from fat and cholesterol, and the damage caused by smoking, causes the passages to become narrow resulting in carotid artery disease. Strokes are caused by carotid artery disease.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm is a disease of the aorta, the largest artery in the body that is responsible for delivering blood to the legs, GI tract, and kidney. An AAA occurs when the wall of the aorta progressively weakens and begins to bulge. An AAA may continue to enlarge and eventually rupture if left untreated. A ruptured AAA is deadly.

Peripheral Arterial Disease results when the arteries in the legs become narrow or obstructed with fat and cholesterol, and limit the flow of blood to the legs. In the severest cases, it can result in amputation.

For more information on these diseases and prevention, click the links above.