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Connecticut EndoVascular
An Alliance of Skills for Quality Care
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As the previously distinct disciplines of vascular surgery and interventional radiology continue to overlap, Connecticut EndoVascular Specialists brings you the combined knowledge and technical skills of a vascular surgeon and three interventional radiologists working together to improve and simplify patient care. Our goal is to merge traditional clinical evaluation and management skills, advanced diagnostic studies, traditional surgical and technologically advanced interventional procedures into a single entity to provide full service vascular care.
We use state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and the latest in minimally invasive surgical and endovascular techniques to treat vascular disease.
Having a Vascular Surgeon and Interventional Radiologists in one group insures that all possible treatment options are available. We believe that we can offer the best choice of procedure for you, performed by fully trained specialists in both fields. We can offer diagnosis and treatment for diseases such as peripheral artery disease, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), varicose veins and chronic venous disease, end-stage renal disease, carotid artery stenosis, abdominal aortic and peripheral aneurysms,peripheral artery disease (PAD) and lower extremity wounds.
We are organized as a division of New Haven Radiology Associates P.C. at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, Connecticut.
Connecticut Endovascular Staff
The group’s staff consists of three full-time interventional radiologists, a vascular surgeon and a physician's assistant:
- Lee Greenwood, M.D., Director of Interventional Radiology, has 26 years of experience in interventional radiology of the vascular system and other organ systems.
- Turgut Berkmen, M.D., Director of Neurointerventional Radiology, has 15 years of experience in vascular and general interventional radiology as well as extensive experience in interventional neuroradiology procedures such as carotid stenting and intracranial aneurysm treatment.
- Douglas Silin, M.D., Interventional Radiologist, is an 16 years of experience in vascular and interventional radiology.
- Walter Kwass, M.D. is a vascular surgeon and former section chief in Vascular Surgery, with 30 years of experience in vascular disease diagnosis, management and surgery.
- Melinda Hedges, P.A. has 14 years of experience in Emergency Medicine and 4 years of experience as an Interventional Radiology Physician’s Assistant.
Examples of Diseases We Treat
Arterial Blockage and Narrowing (Occlusion/Stenosis)
- Atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Calcium, cholesterol, and fatty deposits build up in the wall of the arteries and reduce blood flow to the legs, brain, kidney and other organs.
Other arterial disorders include;
- Fibromuscular dysplasia
- Trauma and/or dissection: Direct injury from accidents
- Sudden blood clot or thrombosis
In the legs, arterial blockages may cause pain on walking a certain distance. This is called ‘intermittent claudication’ and is characteristic of PAD (Peripheral Artery Disease). In its more severe forms, leg artery blockage can lead to constant foot pain, open sores that don’t heal, gangrene and limb loss. If the blocked artery is in the neck, supplying the brain, the patient may have temporary stroke-like symptoms (Transient Ischemic Attacks) or a full blown stroke. If the narrowing is in the artery that supplies the kidneys, the patient’s blood pressure may be high or erratic and difficult to control.
In many cases these blockages can be treated Sometimes open surgical repair or bypass is the best approach but, often enough these days, a less invasive approach using interventional technology is possible. In these x-ray guided procedures, a small nick is made in the groin and a catheter (a tiny, flexible tube) is inserted and gently guided into the damaged artery. A blood clots can often be dissolved with medications infused through the catheter (thrombolysis). Severe narrowings (stenosis) may be opened with small balloons (angioplasty) and kept open longer in some cases with implanted metallic stents. Newer options that we are using in leg arteries include atherectomy, in which the build up of plaque is actually removed from within the artery, and covered stents which act like internal bypass grafts. As mentioned, some blockages do require an open surgical bypass (a vein or synthetic conduit is used to “go around” the blocked artery). Each method has advantages and disadvantages detailneed to be discussed fully prior to proceeding.
Specific Examples:
PVD (Peripheral Vascular Disease)
Reno-vascular (Kidney Blood Vessels)
Carotid Stenosis
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
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