Southern Vascular Overview

Southern Vascular Clinic aims to provide specialist vascular surgical advice and management with an emphasis on an individual approach to each patient and providing information, management, ongoing management. The emphasis is on minimally invasive or non operative techniques.

Membership
Mr Self is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) and a Member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Vascular Surgery, the Melbourne Vascular Surgical Association, the ANZ Society of Phlebology, the International Society of Endovascular Experts.  He regularly attends society conferences with particular emphasis on endovascular arterial procedures and on non operative venous procedures.

Consultation
If a Doctor refers you for a consultation the clinic sends you a first appointment letter and asks you to attend with certain information. For many patients we will arrange a Specialist Vascular ultrasound examination prior to or even at the same appointment. The ultrasounds are done by specialist vascular ultrasonographers working for organisations with no financial association with Mr Self. The fee is generally similar to the Medicare CMBS rebate i.e. minimal patient out of pocket amount. You will receive clinical information from Mr Self and logistic information from his staff. Correspondence will be sent to your referring Doctor, General Practitioner. Copy of the correspondence is often sent to the patient to assist the patient in deciding on how to proceed.

All appointments require correspondence to go through the Richmond rooms.  Consulting is available at satellite sites, e.g. Holmesglen Hospital. Other sites are available from time to time.

Operative procedures are performed at Epworth Hospital and Holmesglen Hospital.  Not all procedures are appropriate or available at all hospitals.  Patients will be advised of options when booking.

Surgery & Procedures
For all operations and procedures, the patient will receive written informed financial consent with an estimate of costs. Co-payments are small for many procedures but can be significant for major procedures. We will advise you of Medicare and Health Insurance rebates that are available.

Discounted rates apply to many procedures for pensioners. Veterans with a Gold Card are treated with no out of pocket cost for inpatient operations. Workcover and TAC patients can be seen for a consultation at their own cost. Procedures are often, but not always, covered depending on the particulars of each Workcover or TAC case. Medico-legal cases are seen only by prior arrangement. Second opinion cases are seen but need to announce that they are requesting a second opinion when booking so that adequate time can be allowed for a longer consultation.

Common operations performed in this practice are primary varicose vein surgery, carotid endarterectomy, open aortic aneurysm repair. Less common operations are recurrent varicose vein surgery, lower limb arterial bypass surgery, thoracic sympathectomy.

Endovascular procedures include angiography, angioplasty and insertion of vascular stents.

Non operative venous procedures include ultrasound guided sclerotherapy (UGS), coil embolisation of refluxing veins, laser ablation of veins (EVLA).

Micro sclerotherapy is performed as a follow up to major procedures rather than as an isolated treatment.

Privacy
We are committed to privacy in all of it’s aspects including all current legislation. We communicate with other Medical Practitioners, allied health professionals involved in the patient’s care with the patients permission. Records and tests are available to the patients on request. Medical advice cannot be given by email due to privacy law.