Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
Aorto-iliac revascularization • Femoro-popliteal revascularization • Infra-popliteal revascularization
Peripheral Arterial (Vascular) Disease (or PAD/PVD)
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), or peripheral vascular disease (PVD), is a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs. This typically causes pain or cramps in the muscles of the hip, thigh, or calf while standing or walking. It is possible that the pain will subside with rest, but it is likely to return with activity. PAD can limit your ability to exercise or perform important activities and can severely harm your quality of life. If the condition is not treated, PAD may progress to a more severe form, causing skin color changes, ulcers or wounds, and even limb loss.
Treatment
We take a comprehensive approach to the treatment of PAD. We will recommend preventative and non-invasive interventions to stop or delay the progression of disease. When necessary, we perform minimally invasive procedures, utilizing the latest technology and our many years of experience to resolve symptoms and avoid tissue loss or amputation.
We perform minimally invasive procedures for PAD through a very small access channel into the arteries of the groins or feet. Through this small channel, we then navigate our endovascular devices through the arteries to the area of narrowing or obstruction. Often, the most challenging step in the procedure is crossing the narrowed or occluded portion of the artery. This is where a Vascular and Interventional Radiologist excels in comparison to other medical specialties that offer the same treatments because catheter work is what we do all day every day. Once we reach and cross the narrowed or obstructed artery, we may use one or more of the following techniques:
Balloon Angioplasty
A catheter with a balloon at the tip is placed across the narrowing and then temporarily inflated, resulting in the opening of the obstructed artery and allowing more blood to flow through.
Stent Placement
A stent is a metallic mesh structure shaped as a cylinder that is delivered to the area of an arterial narrowing or obstruction. This is left in place permanently to restore or increase blood flow. Generally, this is reserved for cases where angioplasty is not sufficient.
Atherectomy
This treatment consists of a specialized catheter that can physically remove fatty and calcified plaques that narrow or obstruct the arteries, restoring blood flow through the diseased artery. Often, this technique is performed in conjunction with angioplasty and/or stenting.
