Vascular medicine
Leading the way in advanced vascular care
Your vascular system works to deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout your body, keeping your organs and heart healthy. Vascular disease occurs when plaque, a buildup of cholesterol and fat, blocks blood flow in your vessels, leading to serious problems that require specialized care.
Penn Medicine's team, comprised of vascular medicine specialists, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists, specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions affecting the arteries, veins, and lymphatics, the network of vessels supporting the circulatory system. As one of only sixteen centers in the nation offering vascular medicine training programs, we’re at the forefront of advancing vascular medicine care, research, and education.
Vascular conditions we treat
- Pulmonary artery stenosis
- Venous insufficiency
Penn Medicine vascular disease specialists—experience you can rely on
When you choose Penn Medicine, you’ll find the best doctors for vascular care. We’re regularly acknowledged for our talent by both peers and consumers and have been recognized by Best Doctors in America, Philadelphia Magazine’s Top Docs™, and America’s Top Doctors.
Our vascular medicine program offers:
- Personalized vascular health plan: Our lipid disorders clinic, one of the largest in the region for treating high cholesterol, tailors a treatment plan designed to fit your lifestyle and to help you make real changes.
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis program: For people with unusually high LDL levels that don’t respond to medication, our LDL apheresis program, one of the largest in the country, offers a dialysis-like treatment.
- Advanced vascular testing and diagnosis: Our accredited vascular laboratory uses state-of-the-art technology to monitor your health before, during, and after treatment, providing the highest quality of care.
Complete care for every vascular condition
We treat all vascular conditions, from the simplest to the most complex. Our program focuses on prevention and early detection to reduce risks before problems arise. When symptoms do occur, our vascular medicine providers partner with interventional radiologists to prioritize non-surgical treatments whenever possible. We start with noninvasive diagnostic methods and lifestyle changes. If needed, we offer drug therapy, laser therapy, and non-invasive varicose and spider vein treatment, as well as procedures like balloon angioplasty and stenting.
Our vascular medicine specialists are leaders in advanced techniques such as aneurysm endografts, limb preservation, and treatment for carotid stenosis and thoracic outlet syndrome. As a high-volume center, we regularly perform procedures that are less common elsewhere, making us uniquely qualified to care for all individuals, including those at high risk.
Preventive and diagnostic screening for vascular conditions
We use advanced technology to screen, assess, and diagnose a variety of vascular conditions, offering both preventative screenings and detailed imaging to provide an accurate evaluation.
If you’re concerned about your risk for peripheral vascular disease, we offer a painless, non-invasive screening that takes just 30 minutes. The screening includes:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening: An ultrasound of the aorta, the body’s main artery, to detect aneurysms.
- Carotid scan: An ultrasound of the carotid arteries in the neck and blood pressure check to identify carotid artery stenosis, a common cause of stroke.
- Ankle-brachial index: A comparison of arm and leg blood pressure readings to assess limb circulation and detect potential peripheral vascular disease.
You may need vascular imaging if your doctor suspects you have a condition affecting the blood vessels.
Our registered vascular technicians use advanced ultrasound technology like duplex ultrasound to evaluate blood vessels outside the heart. They work with your vascular care team to provide you with an accurate diagnosis so you can get the right treatment as quickly as possible.
Pioneering breakthroughs in vascular care
At Penn Medicine, we’re advancing vascular care through cutting-edge research. As an academic medical center, we’re pushing the frontiers of vascular imaging, minimally invasive stenting, and treatments that improve life expectancy for people with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Our research includes exploring cell therapy to grow new arteries in the legs and developing new medications to relieve leg pain (claudication) caused by PAD. Our research opens opportunities for access to clinical trials, giving you the potential to benefit from new therapies.
Our doctors
Our providers work with you to plan and deliver exceptional treatment and personalized care.
Locations
Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.
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