Tests and Treatments
Tests and Treatments at The Vascular Center
Diagnostic Tools and Procedures
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- Non-invasive Vascular Lab Testing
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Vascular Treatments and Procedures
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- Minimally Invasive Vein Removal
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- Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
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- Peripheral Angioplasty/Stents
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- Renal Artery Angioplasty and Stenting
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- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
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During this minimally invasive procedure, a tiny wire-mesh stent is inserted within the blocked carotid artery to open the vessel and restore the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the head and the brain. The stent, designed to compress the plaque against the wall of the carotid artery, is delivered on a catheter that is inserted through a small incision in the groin.
This procedure may be recommended for high risk patients who are not candidates for carotid endarterectomy, the surgical removal of plaque from the carotid artery.
This is a surgical procedure to remove blockages in the carotid arteries and restore adequate blood flow to the brain.
This minimally invasive procedure uses a stent graft, or tube, made of a synthetic material that is inserted into the aortic artery to correct a weakness in the body's main artery. The vascular surgeon places the graft in the aorta via a catheter inserted through a small incision in the groin. The stent graft repairs the aortic channel and restores the flow of blood. This reduces the pressure on the weakened artery, or aneurysm preventing it from rupturing. Recovery time from this procedure is significantly shorter than the conventional treatment of open surgery. Patients typically go home the next day.
Claudication is the recurrent cramping in the legs that is brought on by exercise. Poor blood circulation in the legs results in symptoms that include pain, tension and weakness after walking has begun, and the disappearance of the discomfort after a period of rest. To relieve claudication, a balloon is used to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels in the affected area.
This section includes interventional radiology procedures for cancer patients.
Delcath Procedure - NCI protocol for patients with melanoma, metastatic to the liver
St. Luke's is one of five sites nationwide to offer this National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical study protocol for people with melanoma, metastatic to the liver. This cancer treatment is performed at St. Luke's by interventional radiologist Ellen Redstone, MD, anesthesiologist Jose Rivera, MD and perfusionist Michael Homishak in conjunction with surgical oncologist Darius Desai, MD and medical oncologist and international melanoma investigator Sanjiv Agarwala, MD, both of St. Luke's Cancer Care Associates.
During treatment, an extremely high dose of the chemotherapy drug melphalan is infused into the artery that supplies the liver via catheters that are inserted through the skin. The blood coming out of the liver is then removed and put through a set of carbon filters which removes 90 percent of the drug. The blood is then returned to the patient.
St. Luke's performed its first Delcath procedure December 3, 2008. Patients receive three to six rounds of this chemotherapy treatment.
Y90 Brachytherapy with Sirspheres - FDA-approved protocol for patients with liver cancer
St. Luke's is the only site in the region and one of approximately 70 sites in the country to offer this FDA-approved procedure for patients with cancer in the liver. Highly radioactive particles, Yttrium-90 microspheres, are infused into the hepatic artery supplying the liver delivering much more radiation directly to the tumor than is possible with conventional external radiation, while sparing most of the normal liver tissue. This procedure usually is performed as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia.
St. Luke's has been offering this procedure since 2004. It is performed by interventional radiologists Ellen Redstone, MD and Michael Ringold, MD and radiation oncologists Nimisha Deb, MD and Nicholas Cardiges, MD.