Patient Info

Vascular surgery is surgical treatment for patients with diseases, disorders, or inflammation of the veins and arteries. These diseases of the blood vessels can include vasculitis, aneurysms, ischemia, thrombosis, varicose veins, and immune system abnormalities.

Absolutely, call our office to schedule your appointment today.

(229) 236-6742

Southern Vascular Specialists accepts most insurance policies. If you have a question about a specific insurance acceptance, please call (229) 236-6742 for assistance.

Please bring a copy of your insurance card, picture id, a list of your medications and dosage as well as copies of any relevant medical records.

At SVS ultrasound tests are ordered by your vascular surgeon.  The tests use sound waves to look into the body and evaluate the normal function of arteries and veins, or determine potential abnormal issues.  These tests will help determine your plan of care, and allow insurance approval for procedures indicated.

We specialize in treating all vascular conditions, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease, critical limb ischemia, deep vein thrombosis, carotid artery disease, amputation prevention and more. Please see our website for a complete list of disorders that we address.

Our physician is able to perform most minimal invasive surgeries in office.  Open vascular surgery is performed at John D. Archbold and Grady General hospitals.   In addition, we have a full diagnostic ultrasound lab that does the diagnostic testing required for a comprehensive diagnosis in our office.

The American Board of Surgery establishes a set of standards to qualify to be certified as a vascular surgeon.  A physician must pass extensive training and testing to obtain this status level.  Southern Vascular Specialists has the only board certified in vascular surgeon in Thomasville.

Varicose veins tend to be larger and have a more rope-like appearance; they have the potential to cause significant pain and discomfort.  Spider veins however, are only visible at the surface of the skin and are not raised.

Your genetics can determine if you will develop varicose veins or spider veins or possibly both.  A varicose vein occurs when there is a malfunction in the valve that helps to carry the blood from the feet back to the heart.  When the vein fails to push the blood upwards, it causes a collection of blood to pool in the vein, resulting in a varicose vein that is rope-like and raised.

There are two common procedures for eliminating varicose veins.  Radiofrequency venous ablation (RFA) a non-invasive procedure taking less than an hour with local anesthesia and little recovery and down time.  A newer procedure that is highly effective is VenaSeal, where a medical grade adhesive is used to close the malfunctioning vein.

Most insurance companies will provide coverage for these procedures, once certain measures are met.  Our office staff is knowledgeable with the guidelines for approval of either of these solutions.

This procedure uses x-rays and injectable contrast material to evaluate the insides of arteries or veins.  It is the standard of care for evaluating blockages in the arterial system that may need to be repaired.  Angiograms are generally performed under sedation, and can last 15-20 minutes up to several hours, depending on severity of disease.

CVI occurs when the valves in your veins, usually in the legs, fail to work, allowing blood to pool in the extremity and adding pressure to the vein walls.  This disorder can be hereditary or a result of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or a blood clot.

The carotid arteries in the neck carry oxygenated blood to the brain.  When a carotid artery is more than 50% blocked, a vascular surgeon may recommend the artery be cleaned out to prevent plaque rupture where the plaque and blood clot can move to the brain and cause a stroke.  Carotid surgery is all about stroke prevention.

When an artery in the body becomes damaged from chronic smoking, diabetes, and high cholesterol, the arteries can weaken and start to dilate. In general, if the artery becomes 2X the normal size an aneurysm is diagnosed. This should be watched by a vascular surgeon who will determine when it is proper to repair the aneurysm to prevent clotting or rupture which can be life altering.

In this treatment method the aneurysm of the abdominal aorta can be repaired through a small incision at the groin level. This modern procedure places a stent-graft device along the inside of the artery to the aneurysm to block the aneurysm but let blood flow through the device to the lower legs. This minimally invasive procedure can help prevent rupture of the aneurysm, but will need to be followed by the vascular surgeon for a lifetime.

When sedation is used you may not eat or drink after midnight the night prior to procedure.

We use IV sedation or “Twilight” sedation.  Patients are comfortable but often awake during the procedure.

Our office is equipped with state of the art equipment and our staff are trained to handle any emergencies that may arise.

Procedures typically take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the severity of the disease.