What is Arterial Disease?

Arterial Diseases
Arterial Diseases are when the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the legs and feet become occluded with atherosclerotic plaque or “hardening of the arteries”.

blocked or hardened arteries

This happens over time and for a multitude of lesions. This is more prevalent in diabetics, especially in patients who smoke or people who have problems with their cholesterol, their lipids or have a strong family history. As the arteries become more and more clogged in the lower extremities, blood has a more difficult time getting to the feet. This results in a condition called claudication ( from the Latin word - claudere, which means "to limp"). This is because the leg is not getting enough blood supply when the patient walks through the occluded blood vessels.
Arterial Diseases
Arterial Diseases are when the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the legs and feet become occluded with atherosclerotic plaque or “hardening of the arteries”.

blocked or hardened arteries

This happens over time and for a multitude of lesions. This is more prevalent in diabetics, especially in patients who smoke or people who have problems with their cholesterol, their lipids or have a strong family history. As the arteries become more and more clogged in the lower extremities, blood has a more difficult time getting to the feet. This results in a condition called claudication ( from the Latin word - claudere, which means "to limp"). This is because the leg is not getting enough blood supply when the patient walks through the occluded blood vessels.
Carotid Arteries
Treatment Options
Non-Invasive Treatments
There are many treatment modalities for this which prevent the patient from having surgery.

First, all risk factors are carefully evaluated in our vascular practice and treated including cessation of smoking, treatment of hypercholesterolemia, hyperextension, control of diabetes, etc., to obtain maximum control of causing diseases. Then, a formal exercise program is usually recommended as well. All patients, if possible, are enrolled in an exercise program.

If conservative measures and exercise do not achieve successful results, the next line of therapy is drug intervention. There are several medications such as Trental and Pletal which are both FDA approved for treatment of intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral vascular occlusive disease. We will organize and coordinate and treat based on the level of severity of disease as a medical point of view as well.

If all of the above fails and after the appropriate noninvasive studies have been performed, further treatment options are offered.

Prior to this, however, all patients undergo a series of noninvasive studies in our vascular laboratory which can pinpoint actual amounts of blockages, stenoses, and clogged arteries in the lower extremities. Certain patients may go on from this to have a magnetic resonance angiogram or a CT angiogram to further elucidate areas of atherosclerotic occlusive disease.

After, these have been identified, other treatment modalities can be offered.

Invasive Treatments (non-surgical)
Non-surgical invasive procedures such as percutaneous endovascular techniques, are available from our practice.

These include:
  • various combinations of performing arteriogram and diagnostic studies
  • Balloon Angioplasty
  • Stent Deployment
  • Percutaneous Endovascular Atherectomy

Last is a catheter which actually serves as a sort of roto-rooter device which cores out the material in the artery, setting the artery back to a normal size lumen.

If all the above fails, certain patients still may end up going on to need bypass surgery in which either the patient’s own blood veins in their own body or prosthetic devices are used to bypass around the blockages in such severe conditions.
Non-Invasive Treatments
There are many treatment modalities for this which prevent the patient from having surgery.

First, all risk factors are carefully evaluated in our vascular practice and treated including cessation of smoking, treatment of hypercholesterolemia, hyperextension, control of diabetes, etc., to obtain maximum control of causing diseases. Then, a formal exercise program is usually recommended as well. All patients, if possible, are enrolled in an exercise program.

If conservative measures and exercise do not achieve successful results, the next line of therapy is drug intervention. There are several medications such as Trental and Pletal which are both FDA approved for treatment of intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral vascular occlusive disease. We will organize and coordinate and treat based on the level of severity of disease as a medical point of view as well.

If all of the above fails and after the appropriate noninvasive studies have been performed, further treatment options are offered.

Prior to this, however, all patients undergo a series of noninvasive studies in our vascular laboratory which can pinpoint actual amounts of blockages, stenoses, and clogged arteries in the lower extremities. Certain patients may go on from this to have a magnetic resonance angiogram or a CT angiogram to further elucidate areas of atherosclerotic occlusive disease.

After, these have been identified, other treatment modalities can be offered.

Invasive Treatments (non-surgical)
Non-surgical invasive procedures such as percutaneous endovascular techniques, are available from our practice.

These include:
  • various combinations of performing arteriogram and diagnostic studies
  • Balloon Angioplasty
  • Stent Deployment
  • Percutaneous Endovascular Atherectomy

Last is a catheter which actually serves as a sort of roto-rooter device which cores out the material in the artery, setting the artery back to a normal size lumen.

If all the above fails, certain patients still may end up going on to need bypass surgery in which either the patient’s own blood veins in their own body or prosthetic devices are used to bypass around the blockages in such severe conditions.
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