How to Choose a Vascular Surgeon in Singapore

What a vascular surgeon does, the training to look for, the questions worth asking, and how to decide between public and private care.

Most people have never needed a vascular surgeon until the day a GP, a scan or a frightening symptom sends them looking for one. This page explains what the specialty covers, how to tell a fully trained vascular surgeon from other doctors who treat blood vessels, what to ask at a first consultation, and how public and private care differ in Singapore. It also sets out Dr Andrew Choong's own training and experience plainly, so you can judge for yourself.

What does a vascular surgeon treat?

A vascular surgeon diagnoses and treats disease of the arteries, veins and lymphatic vessels anywhere in the body except the heart and the brain itself. In practice that means:

Aorta: abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms, aortic dissection, and their repair by keyhole stent grafts (EVAR, TEVAR, fenestrated and branched repair) or open surgery.
Leg arteries: peripheral arterial disease, pain on walking, rest pain, diabetic foot and wounds that will not heal, treated by angioplasty, stenting or bypass.
Veins: varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis and its treatment, and leg swelling.
Neck arteries: carotid artery narrowing and stroke prevention.
Dialysis access: creating and maintaining fistulas and grafts for kidney patients.
Diagnostics: duplex ultrasound of arteries and veins, and interpreting CT and MR angiograms.

The defining feature of the specialty is that one surgeon offers the full range of options, from watching and medication through minimally invasive endovascular procedures to open operations, and can tell you which is appropriate in your case rather than only the one they are able to perform.

Who else treats blood vessels, and when does it matter?

Several specialties overlap with vascular surgery, and for some problems any of them may be appropriate.

Specialist	Usually treats	Where a vascular surgeon adds something
Vascular surgeon	All artery, vein and dialysis-access disease; open and endovascular	Can offer every option and switch between them, including when a keyhole procedure needs to become an open one
Interventional radiologist	Image-guided angioplasty, stenting, clot removal	A surgeon can also operate if the keyhole route is not possible, and provides the long-term follow-up clinic
Cardiologist or cardiac surgeon	Heart and coronary arteries; some treat the aortic root or arch	Disease below the arch, in the abdomen or the legs, is vascular surgical territory; complex aortic cases are often shared
General surgeon with an interest in veins	Varicose veins, some vein procedures	Vascular training covers the deep veins, clots, ulcers and the arterial problems that can masquerade as vein disease
Aesthetic or "vein clinic" doctors	Spider veins, cosmetic sclerotherapy	Symptomatic veins, skin changes, ulcers and bleeding veins need a duplex scan and a surgeon who treats the underlying reflux

For a straightforward problem the choice may not matter much. It matters more when the problem is complex (an aneurysm, a dissection, a non-healing wound, a recurrent clot), when a first treatment has failed, or when you want one person to take responsibility for the whole plan.

Training and accreditation to look for

In Singapore, "vascular surgeon" is a recognised sub-specialty. The signals that tell you someone has completed that training, rather than adopted the label, are:

Singapore Medical Council specialist registration in general surgery, with vascular surgery listed. You can check any doctor on the SMC register.
A recognised surgical fellowship, such as FRCS (UK), FRACS (Australia and New Zealand) or FAMS (Singapore), followed by dedicated vascular training.
A vascular-specific qualification or examination. The European Board of Vascular Surgery examination (FEBVS) is the main international one; it tests both open and endovascular surgery. Not every good surgeon has sat it, but it is a clear, verifiable marker.
Experience in both open and endovascular surgery. Ask how many aortic repairs, bypasses or vein procedures the surgeon does and in what setting; a surgeon who only offers one technique will tend to recommend it.
Hospital accreditation. Private surgeons must be credentialed by each hospital they operate in. A surgeon accredited at several hospitals can treat you where your insurance works best.
Published work and teaching. Peer-reviewed research, guideline involvement and examiner or faculty roles are not essential for good care, but they show a surgeon whose practice is scrutinised by peers. Publication records are public on PubMed.

None of these is a guarantee of a good outcome. Together they tell you that a surgeon has been trained and examined in the full specialty and is accountable to a hospital and to peers.

Questions worth asking at a first consultation

What exactly is the diagnosis, and how certain is it? Has the duplex scan or CT been reviewed by you personally?
What happens if I do nothing for now? Is watching and medication a reasonable option?
Which treatments are possible for me, and which would you recommend? Why that one?
Do you perform both the keyhole and the open version of this procedure? If a keyhole procedure cannot be completed, what happens?
Where would the procedure be done, who else would be involved, and what does recovery look like?
What follow-up will I need, and for how long?
Will my insurance cover this, and will your clinic help me check before anything is booked?
May I have a written summary of today's discussion and a copy of my scan report?

A surgeon who welcomes these questions, and who is comfortable with you seeking a second opinion on a major decision, is giving you useful information about how your care will go.

Public or private vascular care in Singapore?

Singapore's public hospitals have strong vascular units, and for an emergency, a ruptured aneurysm or an acutely blocked artery, the nearest emergency department is the right place regardless of anything on this page. For planned care the differences are mainly about time and choice.

	Public (restructured) hospital	Private practice
Who you see	A team; the consultant you meet may not be the one who operates or follows you up	The same surgeon from first visit to follow-up
Waiting time	Subsidised appointments and non-urgent procedures can take weeks to months	Consultation and scan usually within days; procedure dates by agreement
Cost	Subsidised for Singaporeans and PRs according to ward class; private rates for foreigners	Fees set by the clinic and hospital; many Integrated Shield plans and corporate schemes cover medically necessary treatment, subject to the insurer's assessment
Choice of hospital	The hospital you are referred to	Any private hospital where the surgeon is accredited, chosen to suit your insurance and location
Referral	Usually via a polyclinic or GP for subsidised rates	Not required to book; some insurers ask for a GP letter to reimburse

Many patients use both: a diagnosis or a first opinion in one system, and treatment or a second opinion in the other. Bring every report with you if you do, so nothing is repeated unnecessarily.

What a first visit involves

A first vascular consultation is a diagnostic visit, not a commitment to treatment. Expect a detailed history and examination, a duplex ultrasound at the same visit wherever the problem calls for one and the schedule allows, a discussion of what the scan shows and what the sensible options are, and a written summary. Allow about an hour. Bring previous scan reports, operation notes and a medication list. The varicose vein first visit, aortic consultation and international patients pages describe the specifics for those situations.

About Dr Andrew Choong

So that you can apply the checklist above to this practice, here is Dr Choong's background stated plainly. Everything in this box is verifiable from public registers, the UEMS vascular board, PubMed or the institutions named.

Specialty: vascular and endovascular surgeon with a subspecialty interest in aortic surgery; treats the full range of arterial, venous and dialysis-access disease.
Medical degree: MBBS, Imperial College London (2003). Born and trained in the United Kingdom.
Surgical training: London Deanery specialty training in vascular and general surgery, including the Imperial Vascular Unit at St Mary's and Charing Cross Hospitals; vascular and endovascular fellowship, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Australia (2013 to 2014).
Qualifications: FRCS (England), 2014; FEBVS (European Board of Vascular Surgery), 2014, awarded the Gold Medal for the best overall performance in that year's examination; UK Certificate of Completion of Training, 2014; FAMS (Academy of Medicine, Singapore), 2017; PhD in Medicine, University of Warwick (2020); Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Statistics in Health Sciences, University of Strathclyde (2024).
Registration: Singapore Medical Council, specialist in general surgery (vascular surgery); UK General Medical Council.
Appointments: Consultant Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon, King's College Hospital, London (2014 to 2015); Consultant and later Senior Consultant, National University Heart Centre Singapore (2015 to 2023); Associate Professor of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (2020 to 2023). In private practice in Singapore since 2023; Andrew Choong Vascular Surgery at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre since June 2026.
Hospitals: accredited at, and operates in, Singapore's private hospitals, with the main clinic at Mount Elizabeth Novena.
Professional roles: former Chairman of the Vascular Section Committee, Academy of Medicine Singapore; founding member and former Vice-President of the Society of Vascular and Endovascular Surgeons of Singapore; the only Singapore-based member of the Montalcino Aortic Consortium, an international research group on heritable aortic disease.
Research: more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and seven book chapters on aortic disease, clinical outcomes, surgical training and evidence synthesis. Publication list.

Read more on the biography page, or watch Dr Choong explain conditions in his own words on the video library.

Conditions and treatments

Each of these pages explains the condition, how it is assessed and what the treatment options are, with guideline references at the end.

Common questions about choosing a vascular surgeon

Do I need a referral to see a vascular surgeon in Singapore?

Not for a private consultation; you can book directly. Public hospital subsidised rates usually require a polyclinic or GP referral, and some insurers ask for a GP letter before they reimburse a specialist visit, so check your policy if you intend to claim.

What is the difference between a vascular surgeon and a cardiologist?

A cardiologist treats the heart and the coronary arteries. A vascular surgeon treats the arteries and veins outside the heart and brain: the aorta, the neck arteries, the leg arteries and the veins. Both may be involved when disease affects more than one territory, which is common because the same risk factors drive all of it.

Is a vascular surgeon the right person for varicose veins?

Yes. Varicose veins are a sign of valve failure in the leg veins, and a vascular surgeon is trained to scan the whole venous system, including the deep veins, and to offer every treatment from compression to endovenous closure and surgery. Cosmetic spider veins alone can be treated elsewhere, but symptoms, swelling, skin changes or bleeding deserve a vascular assessment.

How can I check a surgeon's qualifications?

The Singapore Medical Council register lists every doctor's specialist registration. International fellowships (FRCS, FRACS, FEBVS) are awarded by named colleges and boards whose lists are public. Hospital websites list the surgeons credentialed there. Publication records are searchable on PubMed by name.

How quickly can I be seen?

In private practice a consultation with a scan can usually be arranged within a few working days. Urgent problems, such as a suspected clot or a painful, cold or numb leg, are seen the same day or directed to emergency care. Contact the clinic for the next available appointment.

Should I get a second opinion before a major vascular operation?

For a planned aortic repair, a bypass or any procedure described as complex, a second opinion is reasonable and a good surgeon will not mind. Bring your actual scan images, not only the report. The aortic second opinion page explains how this is done, including for patients abroad.

Arrange a consultation in Singapore

For a non-emergency assessment or a second opinion, contact Andrew Choong Vascular Surgery at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, #09-22, 38 Irrawaddy Road, Singapore 329563, or message Dr Choong directly on WhatsApp. Bring previous scan reports and a medication list. Patients travelling from overseas can read how a visit is arranged on the international patients page.