Catheter-based endovascular techniques have advanced significantly ove
r the past three decades. It is only recently that surgeons have becom
e more interested in these developments, and are now rapidly gaining i
n training and widening practice opportunities. Endovascular training
and credentialing for the surgeon continue to be poorly-defined areas.
Several pathways, albeit incomplete, are available for the incorporat
ion of endoluminal/percutaneous skills into the surgical armamentarium
. Ultimately, it can only be through established postgraduate residenc
y and fellowship programs that the subspecialty of endovascular surger
y can have a more universal applicability. The basic necessary cathete
r skills have been defined. Imaging requirements, both radiographic an
d endoscopic/ultrasonographic, are most significant and of great signi
ficance for the safe and successful performance of endoluminal vascula
r techniques. On balance, it is felt strongly that endoluminal cathete
r techniques are crucially important for the vascular surgeon of today
and tomorrow.