Vascular surgery is surgery to treat disorders and diseases of the vascular system. A vascular surgeon performs surgery on patients with diseases, disorders, or inflammation of the veins and arteries. These diseases of the blood vessels can include vasculitis, aneurysms, ischemia, thrombosis, varicose veins, and immune system abnormalities.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Vascular Problems, varicose veins, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Peripheral Arterial Disease, pulmonary embolism, retinopathy, Renal Artery Disease, Mesenteric ischemia, Venous disease, Stasis dermatitis, Carotid Artery Disease, cerebrovascular disease, Varicosities, Arteriosclerosis of the extremities, Carotid Endarterectomies, Chronic limb ischemia, Arterial and Femoral Endarterectomies, Acute limb ischemia, abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, and Arterial diseases.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including vascular surgery, arterial surgery, venous surgery, and deep vein surgery.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Echocardiogram, angiography, Photoplethysmography (PPG), Transcranial Doppler (TCD), Doppler Ultrasound, duplex scan, Doppler arterial exams, Noninvasive lab testing, Inferior vena cava scan, Vein mapping, Duplex ultrasound scan, Exercise testing for claudication, and Artery mapping.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Illinois has 166 practicing vascular surgeons. Broken out by city, vascular surgery doctor density in Alton is 1, in Arlington Heights is 5, in Atlanta is 2, in Aurora is 1, in Barrington is 1, in Bedford Park is 1, in Belleville is 4, in Berwyn is 4, in Bloomington is 1, in Blue Island is 5, in Bourbonnais is 1, in Burr Ridge is 4, in Centralia is 1, in Champaign is 1, in Chester is 1, in Chicago is 43, in Chicago Heights is 3, in Crystal Lake is 1, in Decatur is 3, in Dixon is 3, in Dolton is 1, in Downers Grove is 8, in Elgin is 3, in Elmhurst is 1, in Elmwood Park is 2, in Evanston is 3, in Evergreen Park is 2, in Galesburg is 1, in Geneva is 1, in Glenview is 2, in Granite City is 1, in Gurnee is 2, in Harvard is 2, in Harvey is 1, in Hazel Crest is 4, in Highland Park is 1, in Hines is 1, in Hinsdale is 5, in Homewood is 1, in Hopedale is 2, in Jacksonville is 1, in Joliet is 1, in La Grange Highlan is 1, in La Grange Highlands is 1, in Lake Zurich is 1, in Libertyville is 2, in Lombard is 5, in Mackinaw is 2, in Marion is 1, in Martinsville is 1, in Maryville is 2, in Mattoon is 3, in Maywood is 4, in Mchenry is 2, in Melrose Park is 4, in Merrillville is 1, in Moline is 3, in Naperville is 5, in Niles is 4, in Northbrook is 1, in Northfield is 1, in Oak Brook is 2, in Oak Forest is 1, in Oak Lawn is 9, in Oak Park is 1, in Olympia Fields is 6, in Orland Park is 3, in Palos Heights is 1, in Park Ridge is 2, in Pekin is 1, in Peoria is 7, in Pinckneyville is 1, in Plainfield is 1, in Quincy is 2, in River Forest is 1, in Rock Island is 1, in Rockford is 5, in Saint Charles is 1, in Schaumburg is 2, in Skokie is 5, in Springfield is 11, in Taylorville is 1, in Tinley Park is 2, in Urbana is 5, in Watseka is 1, in Wauconda is 1, in Waukegan is 2, in Westmont is 2, in Winfield is 4, in Winnebago is 1, in Wood Dale is 1, and in Woodstock is 1.

Most people think that Chicago, because of its size and popularity, is Illinois’ capital city, but that distinction belongs to Springfield, home of the Abraham Lincoln Museum. Illinois has hundreds of museums, numerous yearly art and ethnic festivals, a lakeshore bordering Lake Michigan, and the many national forests and parks that offers visitors camping, horseback riding, biking, kayaking, and fishing. Chicago is home to the Sears Tower, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, and other cultural opportunities and restaurants in the Navy Pier area.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Illinois has a population of 12,763,371. Of this population, 3,172,677 are under the age of 18 and 1,523,937 are at or above the age of 65.