Areas of Expertise

Dr. Ta-Wei Su, vascular surgeon: 15 years of service at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, with complete surgical training and experience

Skilled in both ends of vascular surgery, including:

• Conventional open vascular surgery (open vascular surgery)

• Simple and complex minimally invasive interventional procedures (minimal invasive intervention)

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Areas of vascular surgery of special expertise include:

(excluding brain and neck vessels)

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Minimally invasive endovascular intervention

Minimally invasive endovascular intervention means entering the blood vessel through a tiny puncture wound and carrying out various vascular treatments inside the vessel lumen, such as the common balloon angioplasty and stent placement. Compared with conventional open surgery (large wound, long recovery, higher chance of wound infection, and so on), this minimally invasive approach reduces trauma to the body, with a small puncture wound and quicker recovery, reduces patient discomfort and lowers the chance of complications such as wound infection.

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Hemodialysis Access

Hemodialysis access is the lifeline of dialysis patients. Patients whose kidney function is insufficient or has failed rely on a hemodialysis machine to take over the work of the kidneys (removing body fluid and toxins), and hemodialysis access is the route that connects the patient with the hemodialysis machine.

A well-made hemodialysis access is the key to good dialysis quality.

A professional vascular surgeon can provide comprehensive, integrated dialysis-access treatment, covering both ends of the field: minimally invasive intervention and conventional open surgery.

• Before surgery: a complete history, physical examination and ultrasound assessment, providing the most suitable surgical plan and explanation for the patient.

• During surgery: creating a well-formed, well-functioning dialysis access and reducing related complications.

• After surgery: regular follow-up, return visits and ultrasound assessment, with maintenance and reconstruction of the access when necessary.

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For more information, see “All About Caring for Dialysis Patients”

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Aortic disease

The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body and receives the blood pumped directly from the heart.

Depending on its location in the body, the aorta can be divided into the thoracic aorta and the abdominal aorta.

If the aorta is damaged by long-term high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar or even long-term smoking, aortic disease easily develops.

• Aortic aneurysm: long-term high pressure inside the vessel, together with a fragile vessel wall, easily causes the vessel to bulge like a balloon. When it bulges to a certain extent, the vessel can rupture and become life-threatening.

• Aortic dissection: when the vessel wall is fragile and cannot withstand the pressure of the blood or forceful contraction, the wall easily dissects or tears, affecting or blocking blood flow so that the organs and tissues it supplies become ischemic, causing injury of varying degrees.

Minimally invasive aortic stent-graft placement is the mainstream treatment today, repairing the vessel by placing a stent in the aorta instead of conventional open surgery with a large wound.

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For more information, see “A Ticking Time Bomb in the Body! A Physician Explains ‘Bomb Disposal Surgery’ for Aortic Aneurysm”

“A Ticking Time Bomb in the Body! Aortic Aneurysm Usually Has No Symptoms: A Physician Explains Treatment” (Heho Health, in Chinese)

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Lower-limb arterial disease

The leg arteries are the main vessels supplying both legs, carrying blood and nutrients to them. When a vessel is narrowed or blocked, the legs develop symptoms:

• Aching or numb legs
• Weakness in the legs
• Intermittent claudication (after walking a short distance the legs become numb and painful; after resting briefly the symptoms ease, but they return when walking resumes)
• Blackened toes, severe pain or tissue necrosis
• Chronic wounds that do not heal for a long time

There are now many minimally invasive interventional devices and procedures that can reopen the vessel and improve symptoms.

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For more information, see:

“Reopening Vessels and Preventing Stenosis, Resolving Peripheral Arterial Occlusion to Avoid Necrosis and Amputation: An Illustrated Explanation by a Vascular Surgeon” (in Chinese)

“Smoking can cause a limp! A physician reveals that ‘peripheral arterial occlusion’ may lead to limb ischemia” (in Chinese)

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Varicose Veins

Varicose veins are a disease that is easily overlooked. Their clinical features are similar to the symptoms of nerve or muscle disorders. Although they seldom cause immediate danger to life, they seriously affect patients’ quality of life.

Causes of varicose veins include heredity, overweight and long periods of sitting or standing, which make venous blood return from the soles of the feet to the heart sluggishly and pool in the lower legs and feet, causing related symptoms:

• Swelling of the lower legs
• Numbness
• Aching and distension
• Calf cramps
• Pigmentation
• Itchy skin
• Wounds that do not heal for a long time

The appearance varies with severity and includes:

• Blue-purple spider-web-like fine vessels
• Raised, bulging veins
• Pigmentation
• Chronic wounds that cannot heal

For more clinical photographs, see the CEAP classification

The mainstream treatment is minimally invasive laser closure, under local anesthesia, with a small puncture site and quick recovery; in most cases no hospital stay is needed and patients can move about freely afterwards. For localized spider-web-like vessels, sclerotherapy can also be used, effectively improving clinical symptoms. 

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