Peripheral Vascular Disease (cont.)
Surgery
Surgical treatment for peripheral artery disease involves either
bypass surgery
performed by a vascular surgeon or endarterectomy.
Indications for surgical treatment of peripheral artery disease include lesions
that, for anatomical reasons, may be difficult to treat by angioplasty. Examples
include lesions covering long segments of a vessel, vessels with multiple
narrowed areas, or long areas of narrowing. Bypass surgery involves using a vein
from your body or a portion of synthetic vessel (known as grafts) to create a
detour around the blockage. One end of the graft is sewn to the damaged artery
above the blockage and the other end is sewn below the blocked area. Blood flow
is then able to bypass the area of narrowing or blockage Bypass surgery is a
major surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia and a hospital stay.
Endarterectomy is a procedure in which the surgeon cleans
out plaque buildup
inside the artery of the affected leg or arm.
Peripheral Vascular Disease At A Glance
- The term peripheral vascular disease is commonly used to
refer to peripheral artery disease (PAD), meaning narrowing or occlusion by
atherosclerotic plaques of arteries outside of the heart and brain.
- Risk factors
for peripheral artery disease include elevated blood cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, inactivity, and
overweight/obesity.
- About 5% of people over the age of 50 are believed to suffer
from peripheral artery disease.
- The symptoms of peripheral artery disease depend upon the location and extent of the blocked
arteries. The most common symptom of peripheral artery disease is intermittent claudication,
manifested by pain (usually in the calf) that occurs while walking and
dissipates at rest.
- Doctors may use radiologic imaging techniques including
Doppler ultrasound, and angiography to aid in the diagnosis of
peripheral artery disease.
- Peripheral artery disease can be treated by lifestyle alterations, medications, angioplasty and
related treatments, or surgery.
- Complications of peripheral artery disease include sores that do not
heal, ulcers, gangrene, or infections in the extremities. In rare cases,
amputation may be necessary.
- Having peripheral artery disease usually indicates the
potential for arterial disease involving the coronary arteries within the brain.
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