PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE (PAD)
Estimates indicate that more than 10-20 million people in the United States suffer from Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). One in five patients over the age of 70, and one in three diabetic patients over age 50 are expected to have PAD. It is the leading cause of amputations in diabetic patients, and 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.
The dangers of PAD can be serious. If left untreated, PAD can lead to Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI), where patients have non-healing ulcers of the feet and may develop severe exercise claudication and resting leg pain. An estimated 15% of diabetic patients will develop a foot ulcer due to PAD and it is the leading cause of non-traumatic foot amputation.
LAVC is equipped to treat patients with PAD. Our team includes highly trained, board-certified interventional radiologists or vascular surgeons who have many years of experience in successfully treating and improving the narrowing arteries of the legs, that cause the symptoms of PAD. Our physicians have a 98.5% success rate in treating PAD.
At LAVC, our staff is able to perform arterial profiles of the legs. If the Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) is less than .95, patients may be referred for angiography to define the arterial supply of the legs. Should a patient be referred for an atherectomy, LAVC performs that service in our facility. Lower extremity atherectomies remove plaque from the arteries supplying blood to leg muscles. During the procedure, a laser catheter, or a rotating shaver ("burr" device on the end of 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.
The dangers of PAD can be serious. If left untreated, PAD can lead to Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI), where patients have non-healing ulcers of the feet and may develop severe exercise claudication and resting leg pain. An estimated 15% of diabetic patients will develop a foot ulcer due to PAD and it is the leading cause of non-traumatic foot amputation.
LAVC is equipped to treat patients with PAD. Our team includes highly trained, board-certified interventional radiologists or vascular surgeons who have many years of experience in successfully treating and improving the narrowing arteries of the legs, that cause the symptoms of PAD. Our physicians have a 98.5% success rate in treating PAD.
At LAVC, our staff is able to perform arterial profiles of the legs. If the Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) is less than .95, patients may be referred for angiography to define the arterial supply of the legs. Should a patient be referred for an atherectomy, LAVC performs that service in our facility. Lower extremity atherectomies remove plaque from the arteries supplying blood to leg muscles. During the procedure, a laser catheter, or a rotating shaver ("burr" device on the end of 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.
