Vascular conditions

All vascular conditions I can help with

Varicose veins

Varicose veins are prominent, swollen, tortuous and enlarged veins, mainly found in your legs. They can ache, feel heavy and be uncomfortable. They may bother you for aesthetic reasons.

The aorta is the largest artery in the body and it transports the blood from the heart to the rest of the body. If you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm, it means that the wall of your aorta has weakened.

Peripheral artery disease

Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is a circulatory condition that may cause leg or foot pain. When plaque is building up in your arteries, it’s harder for your blood to carry nutrients and oxygen to the tissues in those areas.

Carotid artery disease

Carotid artery disease, or CAD, can cause stroke or mini-stroke. It’s important to see your doctor if you have symptoms and if there is blockage of the carotid arteries, surgery is usually indicated.

Diabetic foot treatment

Diabetics are at increased risk of developing foot wounds. In some cases, surgery for a complicated diabetic foot wound may be needed. Working in the Multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Service at Royal Perth Hospital and SJOG Midland Hospital, Dr Altaf is able to provide a comprehensive service to manage diabetic foot disease.

Leg ulcers

Leg ulcers are common and they are characterised by breaks in the skin that fail to heal. Ulcers can occur anywhere on the body but in this article I will focus on leg ulcers.

Renal access surgery

When people have kidney failure, their kidneys are no longer able to remove enough toxins from the blood to stay healthy. They need dialysis, a procedure that removes toxins from the body and returns healthy blood to the body. An arteriovenous (AV) fistula is formed by joining a vein to an artery. This creates a high-flow of blood through the vein, which usually after a period of 4 to 6 weeks, becomes suitable to use for dialysis. Sometimes, narrowings of the fistula can occur which may result in those fistulas clotting off. These narrowings can, in most cases, be treated by minimally invasive techniques such as balloon angioplasty or stenting.

Amputations

Even though amputation is always the last resort, in some cases it is necessary. When you have a blockage or narrowing of the arteries supplying your legs, the circulation to your legs is reduced. Left untreated, the tissue in the leg will die due to lack of oxygen and nutrients, which leads to infection and gangrene. In some cases, gangrene can be very dangerous as the infection can spread through the body and become life-threatening.

Venous stenting

When a vein is narrowed or compressed, we may use venous stenting to improve blood flow. The stent is a wire mesh tube that is permanently placed in a vein and acts as a scaffolding to keep veins open.

Ovarian vein embolisation

Pelvic congestion syndrome is a condition that may cause chronic pelvic pain (PCS). When the veins in the pelvis become enlarged, like varicose veins, this may lead to congestion, which is a build-up of blood in the vessels. Ovarian vein embolisation is a minimally invasive treatment and can reduce the symptoms of PCS.

About
Dr Altaf

As a vascular surgeon, I believe there is no one size fits all. This means appointments take as long until you fully understand the condition and are happy with my approach to get you the best treatment option.