Peripheral Artery Disease (or Peripheral Vascular Disease or Peripheral Occlusive Disease) is the narrowing or blockage (stenosis) of the arteries of the leg, most commonly caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Peripheral Artery Disease may progress silently for years without symptoms (asymptomatic), at least for its early stages.
Some people may have moderate or even advanced Peripheral Arterial Disease and still experience no symptoms, either because they have lost the pain sensation (e.g. diabetics with peripheral neuropathy), or because the disease has been progressing slowly allowing the body to build up sufficient collateral circulation.
Peripheral Artery Disease may be progressing slowly and symptoms may go unnoticed particularly for those who are not walking enough to trigger the leg pain.
Depending on your medical history, your doctor will perform a thorough physical examination and order some tests of the leg arteries to rule in (or rule out) Peripheral Artery Disease.
The treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease depends on the symptoms and your overall physical condition. It can be lifestyle changes with medical treatment, open surgical repair (bypass) or minimally invasive endovascular repair (balloon angioplasty and/or stenting).
All three options have a place in contemporary practice and your vascular surgeon will guide you towards the best option.
Dr. Efthymios (Makis) Avgerinos is a Vascular Surgeon, Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in USA.
Efthymios D. Avgerinos, MD, PhD, FEBVS
Associate Professor of Surgery
Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center Pennsylvania, USA
E-mail: info@vascularhealth.gr
