• Question: is there any cure for vascular anomalies?

    Asked by scarlettcowell to Adam, Joanna on 23 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Paige

      Adam Paige answered on 23 Nov 2012:


      It depends on the anomaly, but in general terms yes. Atherosclerosis is where a blood vessel is partly blocked by cholesterol and fat collecting inside it. Surgeons can insert a wire mesh in the shape of a tube into the blood vessel. They inflate a small balloon inside it and the wire tube opens up wide and locks into place. It pushes the walls of the blood vessel back and therefore opens the vessel wide again.

      They can also cut out regions of damaged or blocked blood vessel and sew the remaining parts of the vessel together. Or they can take a blood vessel from somewhere not important and sew it somewhere (like in the heart) to allow blood to flow around a blockage through this new blood vessel.

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