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Home > Press Center > Peripheral Arterial Disease

Peripheral Arterial Disease

This series of podcasts is a resource for the media interested in learning more about vascular specialists and vascular health. The podcasts are available in two file formats - Windows Media (WMV) and Quicktime video (MOV).

To play the podcasts from this Web site, simply click on the links below (WMV or MOV). The MOV files are much larger and take longer to download; you may want to download the MOV files directly to your computer prior to playing.

To download the files to your computer:

1. Right-click over the link and select "Save Target As"
2. Choose the file location on your computer to store the file
3. Double-click the file to view through your computer, or drag into your portable player's software (such as iTunes)

Peripheral Arterial Disease

WMV | MOV
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to limbs. It affects about 8 million Americans. PAD becomes more common as people get older, and by age 65, about 12 to 20 percent of the population has it. Diagnosis is critical, as people with PAD have a four-to-five times higher risk of heart attack or stroke.

“My Legs Hurt When I Walk”

WMV | MOV
Leg pain may be caused by hardening of the arteries. To expand a bit on a term that you may have heard recently in the media, it is PAD or peripheral arterial disease.This disease involves blockage of arteries especially in the lower extremities. Often, when lower extremity arteries are blocked, the patient will have no complaint.

Increasing use of Hybrid Procedures

WMV | MOV
Persons with advanced PAD and severe symptoms may have multiple areas of blockage from their iliac arteries to the vessels below the knee joint. Traditionally, a bypass to circumvent the iliac lesion would be necessary. Now, with modern technology, such extensive complex disease may require that a minimally invasive approach be performed to open a blood vessel such as the iliac artery to provide blood flow into the lower leg.

Management of Chronic Mesenteric Ischemia

WMV | MOV
Chronic mesenteric ischemia is a disease caused by blockages in the mesenteric arteries, that carry blood to the small and large intestines. Ischemia means decreased circulation and it usually develops due to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Chronic mesenteric ischemia is just one form of PAD that can also present with leg pain due to decreased circulation in the legs, with chest pain due to decreased circulation in the heart, or with stroke due to blockages  in the arteries of the brain.

Lower Extremity Interventions

WMV | MOV
The first issue in lower extremity arterial disease is its recognition. The presence of peripheral vascular disease can be suspected in patients with atherosclerosis of the cerebrovascular or coronary vessels, smokers, diabetics, or people with a family history of vascular disease. In this setting, particularly in male patients over the age of 65, screening for atherosclerosis can be done by measuring the blood pressure at the ankle and comparing it to the blood pressure in the arm.

Additional Topics
 

Vascular Specialty Information  |  Peripheral Arterial Disease  |  Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm  |  Carotid Arterial Disease
 Varicose Veins  |  Deep Vein Thrombosis  |  Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms  |  Penetrating Ulcers of the Aorta
Additional Vascular Specialty Topics  |  Podcast Home Page