What causes varicose veins? • Are varicose veins and spider veins the same thing? • What causes leg ulcers and how should they be treated?

FAQ from Society of Vascular Surgery www.svs.vascularweb.org Top Who are vascular surgeons? Vascular surgeons are physicians who care for patients with diseases that affect the arteries and veins throughout the body. This medical specialty first emerged in the early 1950s as a hybrid between general and cardiac surgery. However, unlike most other surgical specialties, no parallel medical discipline evolved to treat these patients and vascular surgeons were left to manage the full spectrum of vascular disease. Over the next three decades, pioneers in this specialty expanded our knowledge of the disease processes that affect blood vessels and helped to develop many of the diagnostic modalities and treatments that we use today. What kinds of problems do vascular surgeons treat?  more