A vascular ultrasound is an imaging test used to evaluate the circulatory system — arteries, veins, and capillaries. Arteries deliver oxygenated blood to the body, veins return deoxygenated blood to the heart and lungs, and capillaries, the smallest blood vessels, ensure that blood can reach and return from all the...
A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blood clot that develops in one of the body’s blood vessels, often in the leg. It breaks free of its mooring and travels to an artery in the lung, where it suddenly blocks blood flow. The clot is known as an embolus, and the blockage is...
You probably know varicose veins on sight. They’re a network of ropy, colored protrusions that most often show up on your thighs and calves. There’s no question they’re an eyesore, but did you know that it’s important to seek medical treatment for them? While they’re most often harmless in and...
The carotid arteries carry blood filled with oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the brain. You have two such arteries, one on either side of your neck, just below your jaw. These arteries can become clogged with a fatty plaque, reducing blood flow and leading to potentially serious complications....
Venous insufficiency (VI) is a problem with the circulatory system that stems from the veins in your legs. Up to 40% of US adults suffer from some form of insufficiency, which can turn chronic (CVI) if not treated. At Comprehensive Vascular Care, with locations in Novi and Southfield, Michigan, our...
Venous ulcers are slow-healing open sores on the legs and feet that often arise when underlying vein disease isn’t properly treated — or treated at all. While some cases can be traced to genetic factors, there are a number of lifestyle factors that put you at risk for developing vein...
Peripheral artery disease (PAD), a circulatory system disease, affects over 8 million people in the United States 40 and older. The arteries that carry oxygenated blood to the body’s tissues become narrowed, decreasing blood flow to the extremities and robbing them of essential nutrients. The most common cause of PAD...
Medically referred to as telangiectasia, spider veins are small, visible veins — usually the smallest type of blood vessel, the capillaries. They’re found on the legs and sometimes on the face and appear as twisted red, purple, or blue lines forming a branched pattern that looks like a spider’s web....
The carotid arteries carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the brain. You have one on each side of your neck, just below the angle of your jaw. When these arteries become clogged, blood flow diminishes, leading to potentially serious complications. This is known as carotid occlusive disease or carotid...
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an underrecognized public health crisis, causing more deaths than breast cancer or prostate cancer. It affects some 37 million people in the US (more than 1 in 7 adults), of which about 90% don’t know they have a problem, as the disease is asymptomatic in...
If your ankles are discolored, especially if they’re an orange-red-brown combination, you’re probably dealing with poor circulation that’s reached the advanced stage called venous stasis dermatitis. Fortunately, treatments exist that can help the problem and prevent it from progressing further. At Comprehensive Vascular Care, with convenient locations in Southfield and...
You’re probably familiar with varicose veins, those bulging, ropey, colored protrusions on your legs, but you may not be familiar with spider veins. In truth, they’re very similar. Spider veins are caused by the same circulatory system problem as varicose veins, but they occur in the small capillaries near the...
Ultrasound tests are used in many fields of medicine. One of the best known, perhaps, is when a pregnant woman has an ultrasound to check on the health and development of her baby. Ultrasound, though, can also be used as a screening and diagnostic tool for vascular conditions. At Comprehensive...
Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from your heart to the rest of your body. The carotid arteries are two large vessels on either side of your neck that supply the large, front part of the brain with blood. This region controls thinking, speech, personality, and sensory and...
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein deep inside the tissues, usually in the leg. Sometimes it produces characteristic symptoms, but sometimes there are no obvious symptoms, meaning you’re not aware you need treatment. Left untreated, though, your risk for developing life-threatening complications increases...
Over 8 million people in the United States who are 40 years and older have peripheral artery disease (PAD), sometimes also called peripheral arterial disease, which affects the circulatory system. In people with PAD, the arteries that carry blood to the body’s tissues become narrowed, decreasing blood flow to the...
Arteries are the part of the circulatory system that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the body’s tissues, and the aorta is the body’s largest artery. The part of the aorta that runs through the chest is known as the thoracic aorta, and the part that continues down into...
Spider veins are small, visible veins (usually capillaries, the smallest type of veins) found on the legs and sometimes on the face. They get their name because they appear in clusters and look like a delicate spider web. Unlike varicose veins, their larger cousins, spider veins don’t affect the texture...
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a circulatory system condition that affects the veins in your legs. It’s estimated that up to 40% of US adults suffer from some form of CVI. At Comprehensive Vascular Care in Southfield and Novi, Michigan, our team of board-certified vascular, vein, and wound care specialists...
Varicose veins are a common affliction, affecting about 1 in 4 American adults. These bulging red, blue, or purple veins are generally more of a cosmetic issue than a medical one, but not only can they make you self-conscious, they can also be uncomfortable and cause skin rashes, so you...
To understand the seriousness of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition where a clot forms in a deep vein, you first have to know something about veins in general, and venous insufficiency in particular. At Comprehensive Vascular Care, with locations in Novi and Southfield, Michigan, our expert team of board-certified...
Leg swelling is referred to as edema. It’s a common problem, and it represents more than half of new referrals to vascular medicine practices. Edema results from fluid buildup in the tissues, which can happen suddenly or develop slowly, lasting for months or even years. Most cases of edema occur...
If you have a family member with spider veins, you might wonder if you’re destined to develop them too. It’s true that about 90% of individuals with spider veins have a family history of them, but genetics isn’t the only risk factor. If you have spider veins and don’t like...
When the wall of a blood vessel weakens, a balloon-like dilation called an aneurysm sometimes develops. This happens most often in the abdominal aorta, an essential blood vessel that supplies blood to your legs. FAIRLY COMMON Every year, 200,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm...
Ankle-Brachial Index or ABI Test A non-invasive test that uses inflatable cuffs to gauge circulation (blood flow) and measure blood pressure in the arteries at various locations on the thigh, calf, foot and toes. Done in an outpatient clinic or vascular laboratory.Minimal, brief discomfort, similar to what you feel while...
Vascular conditions affect the veins and arteries in your body, which conduct oxygen to every living cell. Think of your veins and arteries as expressways or rivers. When there are traffic jams or road construction, or when dams break, trouble ensues. But in most cases, vascular conditions are highly treatable,...
Most Americans are familiar with heart disease and with the consequences of blockages in the vessels that carry blood to and from the heart. But few people realize that blockages caused by a buildup of plaque and cholesterol affect more than coronary arteries. Arteries throughout the body carry oxygen-rich blood...
What do vascular surgeons do? Vascular surgeons are specialists who are highly trained to treat diseases of the vascular system. Your blood vessels –arteries carrying oxygen-rich blood and veins carrying blood back to the heart — are the roadways of your circulatory system. Without smoothly flowing blood, your body cannot...
Your vascular system is made up of vessels that carry your blood throughout your body. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from your heart. Veins carry oxygen-poor blood back to your heart. Your blood leaves the left side of the heart and is pumped out to the rest of your body....
Great surgeons are a breed apart. They’re a rare combination of exceptional intelligence, outstanding education and training, respected skills and expertise, and a sense of humanity that puts their patients at the center of all they do. The surgeons at Providence are those things and more. Backed by a fantastic...
Dr. William Oppat, vascular surgeon, Providence Hospital, appeared live on FOX 2 Detroit News discussing the treatment of spider and varicose veins. Watch Dr. Oppat remove a spider vein from Deena Centofanti’s leg.
Watch as Dr. Nolan describes the type and severity of horrific injuries sustained by Boston Marathon bombing victims on Fox 2 News Detroit. View the video here. Dr. Kevin Nolan, the head of vascular surgeries at Providence Hospital, knows what types of injuries doctors and patients have in front of them after...
When you’re ready, come and get these veins taken care of! A sclerotherapy treatment for spider veins takes about 30 minutes and is done in both of our offices!Give us a call or click here for more information.
Kevin D. Nolan, MD February 22, 2011 3:46 PM For two weeks, vascular surgeon Kevin Nolan of Southfield volunteered to treat wounded American soldiers transported from Afghanistan and Iraq to the U.S. Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Nolan said he volunteered recently (as well as back in June...