[Current status of vascular surgery]

German vascular surgery compares favourably to international standards. Reconstruction of the complete vascular systems are carried out by experts in specialized centres. Sophisticated techniques are applied to the open and intravascular procedures of small and large vessels. Prosthesis grafts and vein autografts are often used with the help of atraumatic surgical equipment. The external quality control by the German Society of Vascular Surgery and the introduction of continuous medical education in vascular surgery help to maintain this high quality standard. There is a lack of vascular operation, a prerequisite for the development of further independent centres.