医疗专业人员

WALEED BRINJIKJI: The most common vascular malformation that we treat-- it's the most common vascular malformation that's out there-- is something called the venous malformation where you basically have a vein that did not form correctly. But we also treat arterial venous malformations, which are abnormal connections between arteries and veins. And then we also treat lymphatic malformations, which are basically lymphatic vessels that form abnormally and cause a lot of swelling and discomfort for patients.

We actually have an excellent vascular anomalies Clinic here at Mayo, which is a multidisciplinary practice involving dermatology, interventional radiology, interventional neuroradiology, ENT, and plastic surgery. We're considering all the options, whether it's medical therapy, whether it's surgical therapy, or whether it's interventional therapy.

They get their MRI. They get an ultrasound. Then they come in to a clinic where they see all the specialists, more or less, at the exact same time. We come up with a plan, and we initiate treatment sometimes the day after. 98% of patients are treated outpatient. To be able to get all of that done within a couple of days and come out with a plan that multiple physicians can agree upon is something that I think is very unique to Mayo. We have a lot of expertise.

This is an area of increased growth in our practice. And to be able to see doctors that specialize in treating these diseases and know what can happen if you don't treat it, how to deal with complications that can arise as a result of the treatment or during the course of watching, is something that is very important for patients that have a disease that is relatively rare.