The use of advanced technology and minimally invasive techniques can mean shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery for patients.

The vascular surgery program at Rush University Medical Center has a comprehensive team of highly experienced clinical specialists, including board-certified physicians and talented health care professionals. Rush's dedicated team of surgeons use every tool available to provide effective and individualized vascular treatments supported by cutting-edge technology and a comprehensive research and medical center.

• Our Approach
• About Our Program
• About Our Services
• FAQs

Our Approach

Comprehensive and individualized — that's how we approach your medical care. When you walk through our doors for your first appointment with your doctor, you will also have a clinical team who work closely with you, your doctor and other clinical specialists to determine the most effective treatment program for you. Your team is there to answer your questions and go over how your vascular treatments work.

About Our Program

The vascular surgery program has an experienced medical team who are dedicated to treating your vascular condition and achieving successful health outcomes to get you back to your normal life. Your vascular surgery team designs a treatment for your individual vascular condition and uses the most advanced technology available to effectively treat your condition — one of our main goals is to use the least invasive treatments possible.

We effectively treat many different types of vascular disorders, including:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysms
• Carotid artery disease
• Deep vein (or venous) thrombosis or DVT
• Mesenteric ischemia
• Peripheral arterial disease or PAD
• Thoracic aortic aneurysms
• Varicose veins
• Venous ulcers

Our Services

Your vascular surgery team uses advanced technology treatment options that will help drive your treatment program to produce successful health outcomes, effectively treating your vascular condition. We put together your individualized treatment plan using all of the options available to us — we also take into consideration how these treatments will affect you.

There are many benefits in using advanced technology to treat your vascular conditions and they include:

• Less pain
• Less risk
• Shorter hospital stay and in some cases no hospital stay
• Earlier return to work and activity

Minimally invasive treatment: This technology is key in providing minimally invasive treatments for your vascular conditions:

• For peripheral arterial disease or PAD your vascular surgeon may use the SilverHawk Plaque Excision System — a very small rotating blade that removes plaque from the artery wall
• For carotid or neck artery blockages your vascular surgeon may perform the carotid stenting procedure — a mesh-metal tube that is placed in the carotid artery
• For abdominal aortic aneurysms and thoracic aortic aneurysms your vascular surgeon may perform an endovascular aneurysm repair procedure using a stent graft — a small tube that is inserted into an artery to reinforce a weak spot

Surgery: Surgery is another option for treating vascular conditions: 

• For carotid blockages your vascular surgeon may perform the endarterectomy procedure — opening the artery and removing the plaque that is causing the blockage
• For mesenteric (arteries that supply blood to your large and small intestines) artery ischemia and PAD your vascular surgeon may perform bypass surgery — a rerouting of blood flow
• For aortic aneurysms surgery may be required and your vascular surgeon will advise you on the best treatment options

The vascular surgery program and the vein specialty clinic also offer treatments for venous diseases including varicose veins, venous ulcers, venous insufficiency and congenital venous abnormalities. Your vascular surgeon uses proven and advanced technology-based procedures to treat your venous diseases.

• For varicose veins and venous insufficiency: endovenous ablation (VNUS closure or laser therapy), which is vein closure using radiofrequency and/or light source therapy
• For varicose veins: vein excision procedure, which is varicose vein removal
• For varicose and spider veins: sclerotherapy procedure, which is injecting a solution into a vein so it closes
• For venous blockages and arterial venous malformations: venous bypass procedure, which is creating a new path for blood to flow
• For pulmonary embolism prevention: insertion of a vena cava filter, which serves to increase blood flow
• For venous insufficiency and ulcers: perforating vein procedure, which is removal of the perforating or surface veins to increase blood flow, possibly preventing future ulcers from occurring

Experience Matters

In the vascular surgery program, there's a large team of experienced medical professionals (board-certified physicians, nurses, physician's assistants, etc.) who come together and are dedicated to your treatment and health. Learn more about the vascular surgery team.