THE SURGEON AS AN ENDOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONIST - WHY AND HOW

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.