Peripheral Arterial Disease
What is Peripheral Arterial Disease?
As many as 10 million people in the U.S. have Peripheral Arterial Disease, also known as atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. It is a condition in which arteries that carry blood to the arms or legs become narrowed or clogged. The most prevalent symptom is aching or cramping in the legs when walking or exercising that goes away after resting.
PAD remains a largely under diagnosed and under treated disease. It is a progressive condition that if left untreated leads to an increased likelihood of stroke. It also is a strong indicator of arterial disease which correlates with overall cardiovascular health. In its most advanced stages, PAD can lead to non-healing leg wounds, gangrene, and eventual amputation.
The more immediate effects of PAD are a diminishing quality of life due to pain and discomfort while walking, which eventually translates into limited mobility and loss of independence for those afflicted with the disease. Often people dismiss the symptoms of PAD as simply “old age” but, much can be done to mitigate the effects of the disease.
Major risk factors for developing the disease include: Smoking, Diabetes, being over 60 years old, a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure.
Some of the specific techniques and treatments used by FRC’s interventional radiologists include:
- Angioplasty - where a balloon is inflated to open blood vessels.
- Vascular Stenting – where a tiny metal cylinder, or stent, is inserted in the clogged vessel to act like a scaffolding and hold it open.
- Catheter-directed Thrombolysis – where clot-busting drugs are delivered to the site of blockages caused by blood clots.
Learn more about our interventional radiologists
Other Vascular Services / Conditions
- Diagnostic Vascular Imaging
- Peripheral Arterial Disease
- Angioplasty and Vascular Stenting (for carotid, renal, mesenteric and peripheral arteries)
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
- Uterine Fibroids / Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE)
- Deep Vein Thrombosis
- Varicose Veins
- Treatment of vertebral compression fractures resulting from osteoporosis or other disease
- Minimally invasive cancer therapy for liver, kidney, bone and lung tumors
- Central Venous Access Catheters and Filters
For more information on these as well as other interventional radiology procedures, please visit www.sirweb.org/patients/
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- Breast Imaging
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- Image Guided Biopsies
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