Peripheral vascular disease PVD involves damage to or blockage in the blood vessels distant from your heart—the peripheral arteries and veins. Your peripheral arteries and veins carry blood to and from your arm and leg muscles and the organs in and below your stomach area. The main forms that PVD may take include blood clots for example, deep vein thrombosis or DVT , swelling inflammation , or narrowing and blockage of the blood vessels.
Much like the coronary arteries, the peripheral arteries can be blocked by plaque. PVD can result from a condition known as atherosclerosis, where a waxy substance forms inside of the arteries. This substance is called plaque. When enough plaque builds up on the inside of an artery, the artery becomes clogged, and blood flow is slowed or stopped. Clogged peripheral arteries in the lower part of the body also referred to as peripheral artery disease or PAD most often cause pain and cramping in the legs.
The risk factors for atherosclerosis in the peripheral arteries are the same as those for atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries. Smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are believed to lead to the development of plaque. An aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge in the wall of a weakened blood vessel.
If the bulging stretches the vessel wall too far, the vessel may burst. The aorta is the artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. An aneurysm in the aorta is called an aortic aneurysm. You can die if an aneurysm causes this main artery to burst and it is not treated in time.
An aortic aneurysm may be located in your chest thoracic aneurysm , but most are located below the kidneys in the lower stomach area abdominal aneurysms. The disease causes swelling of the small and medium-sized arteries and sometimes the veins in your feet and legs. This rare disorder, which causes the peripheral vessels to tighten or constrict, is more common in men, especially smokers aged 20 to Smoking causes the blood vessels to tighten in everyone who smokes.
Different types of angioplasty may be performed. During a balloon angioplasty, a small balloon is inflated inside the blocked artery to open the blocked area and is then removed. Atherectomy, the blocked area inside the artery is "shaved" away by a tiny device on the end of a catheter. Laser angioplasties use a laser to "vaporize" the blockage in the artery. Finally, a stent is a tiny coil which is expanded inside the blocked artery to open the blocked area and keep the artery open.
Vascular surgery involves a bypass graft using a blood vessel from another part of the body or a tube made of synthetic material being placed in the area of the blocked or narrowed artery to reroute the blood flow Varicose Veins The most common treatment for both spider and varicose veins, is sclerotherapy.
This procedure involves a saline or chemical solution that is injected into the varicose veins so they harden and no longer fill with blood. The veins that received the injection will eventually shrivel and disappear.
The scar tissue is absorbed by the body Laser treatment can also be used to treat varicose veins. There are several types of lasers that may be used. A laser fiber inserted into a varicose vein through a catheter sends out laser energy that destroys the diseased portion of your varicose vein so your body can absorb it. Finally, during Ablation , a thin, flexible catheter inserted into a varicose vein heats the walls of the veinand destroys the vein tissue so it can be absorbed.
Deep Vein Thrombosis DVT Anticoagulants or blood thinners, can keep the clot from growing and prevent others from forming. Treatment with blood thinners may last from three to six months.
If a blood clot develops after surgery, treatment may be shorter. If there have been previous clots or treatment for another illness is underway, the treatment may last as long as risk factors are present. Thrombin inhibitors can disrupt the formation of a clot. Patients who cannot take heparin may be given one of these medications. In some cases, a vena cava filter may be inserted into the large vein which returns blood from the body to the heart if you cannot take medication or if blood thinners are not working.
The filter is a kind of "clot catcher. Tests Angiogram After inserting a thin, flexible tube into an artery in the leg and injecting a contrast dye to make the arteries and veins visible, an x-ray of your arteries and veins can detect blockage or narrowing of the vessels. Ankle-Brachial Index ABI This test compares the blood pressure in the ankle with the blood pressure in the arm using a regular blood pressure cuff and a Doppler ultrasound device.
Blood Lipid Profile This blood test measures the levels of each type of fat in your blood: total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and others. Doppler Ultrasound Flow Studies Doppler uses high-frequency sound waves and a computer to create images of blood vessels, tissues, and organs to measure and assess the flow of blood.
Magnetic Resonance Angiography MRA This noninvasive diagnostic procedure uses a combination of a large magnet, radio frequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within your body, to assess blood flow. Treadmill Exercise Test This test is given while you walk on a treadmill to monitor your heart during exercise. Photoplethysmography PPG Comparable to the ankle brachial index, this test uses a very tiny blood pressure cuff around the toe and a PPG sensor infrared light to evaluate blood flow near the surface of the skin to record waveforms and blood pressure measurements compared to the systolic blood pressure in the arm.
Pulse Volume Recording PVR Waveform Analysis This technique calculates blood volume changes in the legs using a recording device that displays the results as a waveform.
Reactive Hyperemia Test Similar to an ABI or a treadmill test, this procedure is used for people who are unable to walk on a treadmill. Segmental Blood Pressure Measurements This measurement compares blood pressure measurements in different areas using a Doppler device on the upper thigh, above and below the knee, at the ankle, and on the arm to determine any constriction in blood flow.
Duplex Ultrasound This is the most commonly performed diagnostic test for DVT and involves using high frequency sound waves to look at the speed of blood flowand the veins. Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI This diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radio frequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body is particularly effective in diagnosing deep vein thrombosis in the pelvis.
The term peripheral vascular disease encompasses several different conditions including: Atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque inside the artery wall. Plaque is made up of deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium, and fibrin. The artery wall then becomes thickened and loses its elasticity.
Symptoms may develop gradually, and may be few, as the plaque builds up in the artery. However, when a major artery to the heart or brain is blocked, a heart attack or stroke may occur. Buerger disease thromboangiitis obliterans. This is a chronic inflammatory disease in the arteries. It leads to blood clots in the small- and medium-sized arteries of the arms or legs, eventually blocking them.
This disease most commonly occurs in men between ages 20 and 40 who smoke cigarettes. Symptoms include pain in the legs or feet, clammy cool skin, and a diminished sense of heat and cold.
Chronic venous insufficiency. This is a prolonged condition in which 1 or more veins don't adequately return blood from the legs back to the heart. It's due to valve damage in the veins. Symptoms include discoloration of the skin and ankles, swelling of the legs, and feelings of dull, aching pain, heaviness, or cramping in the legs. Venous thromboembolism VTE.
They use the term VTE because the 2 conditions are very closely related. And, because their prevention and treatment are also closely related. Deep vein thrombosis DVT. DVT is a blood clot in a large vein deep inside a leg, arm, or other part of the body.
These blood clots are common in those who have had long periods of inactivity like sitting while traveling or bed rest after surgery.
Symptoms may include pain, swelling, and redness in the affected arm or leg. If you have these symptoms, call your health care provider. Pulmonary embolism PE.
PE is a blood clot in the lungs. The most common cause is a part of a clot that breaks off and travels to the lungs. In the lungs, the clot can cut off the flow of blood. This is a medical emergency and may cause death. Common symptoms are chest pain, trouble breathing, fast heartbeat, sweating, coughing may cough up blood , and fainting.
If you have these symptoms, call or get emergency help. Raynaud phenomenon. This is a condition in which the smallest arteries that bring blood to the fingers or toes tighten when exposed to cold or during emotional upset.
It most commonly occurs in women between ages 18 and Symptoms include cold, pain, and paleness in the fingertips or toes. Thrombophlebitis is a blood clot in an inflamed vein, most often in the legs, but it can also occur in the arms. It may result from pooling of blood, injury to the vein wall, and changes in how the blood clots.
Symptoms in the affected extremity include swelling, pain, tenderness, redness, and warmth. Varicose veins.
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