Vascular Specialization

Atherosclerosis, the narrowing of an artery or arteries, affects the entire circulatory system. The disease can manifest itself in the heart or other places along the body's network of veins and arteries.

A block anywhere along the vascular system can lead to serious health problems like heart attack, aneurysm, high blood pressure, stroke, severe leg pain, or even kidney failure. Problems in one area of the system can indicate a more serious condition elsewhere in the body.

Doctors at Morristown Memorial Hospital treat problems in outlying or peripheral blood vessels with the same care as problems inside the heart, especially when those blood vessels are located in the abdomen, kidneys, legs, neck, and brain.  This "whole system" approach ensures that you get the right health care for your needs, history, and symptoms.

In Morristown Memorial's Vascular Lab physicians use the most advanced technology available to diagnose and treat various conditions in the least invasive way. Computed tomography (CT) takes pictures of the cardiovascular system to detect atherosclerosis. High-speed beam tomography (EBT) scans spot calcium blockages in the arteries in just seconds.

During noninvasive ultrasound procedures, a fiber-optic probe produces clear pictures of blood vessels. Vessels in the head, aorta, legs, and heart can also be scanned using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA). Doctors also use the Vascular Lab to verify the size, location, and health of patients' veins before surgery and monitor potential blood clots.

Surgical vascular procedures are performed in one of Morristown Memorial's five state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization labs. Equipment like interoperative ultrasound helps physicians diagnose symptoms for treatments such as angioplasty and stenting.  During angioplasty, a balloon-type catheter is threaded into a vein and expanded to compress plaque and improve blood flow. With stenting, a tiny wire-mesh coil is placed into the vein to keep it open. Vascular specialists often put endovascular graft stents into blood vessels rather instead of operating on major arteries. Stents also improve blood flow after an aortic aneurysm.

Some vascular surgery patients continue to be monitored by their surgeons for blood clotting during outpatient rehabilitation. Complicated vascular cases are analyzed during conferences by a team that includes cardiologists, interventional radiologists, and vascular surgeons.

Morristown Memorial is renowned for its vascular imaging and corrective capabilities and for its well-trained, well-respected staff of vascular specialists. Patients and their primary care doctors depend on us for accurate diagnosis, innovative solutions, and knowledgeable, compassionate care.