Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) affects millions of people in the United States. Estimates indicate that more than 10-20 million United States residents have the disease - one in five patients over the age of 70 have it. Additionally, one in three diabetic patients over the age of 50 are expected to have it and it is the leading cause of amputations in diabetics. Patients who have amputations are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. More than 88,000 amputations will be performed in the United States due to PAD. Those at risk include patients over 70, those with diabetes, those who smoke and those with poorly-controlled hypertension.
Los Angeles Vascular Center is proud to offer atherectomies. Atherectomy is a procedure to remove plaque from arteries. Plaque is the buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances in an artery’s inner lining.
Lower extremity atherectomies remove plaque from the arteries supplying blood to leg muscles. It uses a laser catheter, or a rotating shaver (”burr” device on the end of the catheter). The catheter is inserted into the body and advanced through an artery to the area of narrowing. Other devices are dissectional atherectomy, catheters that shave off the plaque, or laser catheters that vaporize the plaque. Compared to balloon angioplasty, atherectomies have a higher patency rate.