Vascular surgery is a nascent surgical subspecialty in which diseases of the vascular system, or arteries and veins are managed by medical therapy. When the buildup becomes very severe, it can cause a stroke. A stroke occurs when part of the brain is damaged by these vascular problems. Painful cramping in one or both of your hips, thighs or calf muscles after certain activities, such as walking or climbing stairs (claudication) Leg numbness or weakness. Vascular Disease includes any condition that affects your circulatory system, such as peripheral artery disease. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is commonly caused by atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of plaque deposited in the walls of blood vessels. The word cerebrovascular is made up of two parts – "cerebro" which refers to the large part of the brain, and "vascular" which means arteries and veins. A vascular surgeon makes sure patients with vascular health issues know and understand all their options. In short, vascular surgeons can do surgery, but they see and treat many patients who don’t require surgery.