What is Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)?

Peripheral artery disease (PAD for short) is a condition caused by a narrowing or blockage within the body’s large arteries within the legs. This slows the flow of oxygenated blood to the legs, causing pain when walking (claudication), numbness, cramping, and other symptoms. Up to 20% of Americans over 65 will develop this condition.

The most direct cause of PAD is a condition called atherosclerosis. Also known as “hardening of the arteries,” atherosclerosis occurs when there is a buildup of plaque or fatty deposits within the arteries of the legs and arms. This causes the arteries to narrow, making it more difficult for them to carry oxygenated blood throughout the body.

What are the biggest risk factors for PAD?

• Over age 50 • Male • Diabetes • Smoking • High cholesterol • Family history • High blood pressure/hypertension • Overweight

What happens if PAD is untreated?

If not treated, PAD can lead to painful cramping in the legs, limited mobility, gangrene, infection, amputation, and even death.

What are the symptoms of PAD?

• Pain, cramping, or fatigue in leg muscles while walking or exercising that goes away when resting. This is also known as claudication. • Pain within the legs or feet, especially at night • Wounds or sores that do not heal or heal too slowly • Lower legs that feel cool to the touch • Lack of hair growth on the lower legs or lack of toenail growth • Numbness or loss of sensation within the legs NOTE: Many patients with PAD do NOT experience these symptoms. That’s why it is especially important to know your individual risk for this disease.

Is there a test I can have to diagnose (or rule out) PAD?

Yes. Your healthcare provider can perform a test called the ankle brachial index, or ABI. This test measures the difference between the blood pressure in your arms and in your ankles and can help determine if further testing is necessary. If it is, one of several additional tests may be recommended, including ultrasound, CT angiography, and angiography, which can identify the location of the blockage within the blood vessels and help guide treatment decisions.

Do I need surgery to treat PAD?

In many cases, surgery will not be required. There are several minimally invasive, outpatient procedures offered by the doctors at Memphis Vascular Center. They are performed by threading tiny catheters—guided by imaging—through the body’s vascular system to the site of the blockage. Once there, the blockage can be opened with balloon angioplasty or removed with atherectomy. In some cases, the artery may be kept open with a stent.

I’ve been told I will need an amputation because of PAD. Is there another option?

There may be. The Limb Salvage Program at Memphis Vascular Center is designed to help patients with severe critical limb ischemia avoid an amputation. While not always possible, we will work with you and your doctor to explore every option available to you.

How do I know if I need treatment for PAD?

If you haven’t been formally diagnosed, please call us. We can perform a simple, non-invasive test to help you determine if you have PAD and if it requires treatment. In many cases, PAD found early can be treated with medication and/or lifestyle modification.

Peripheral Artery Disease

What is peripheral artery disease?

Peripheral artery disease (PAD), also known as peripheral vascular disease (PVD), is a very common condition affecting 12-20 percent of Americans (both men and women) age 65 and older. PAD develops most commonly as a result of atherosclerosis, or “hardening of the arteries,” which occurs when cholesterol and scar tissue build up, forming a substance called plaque that narrows and clogs the arteries. Left untreated, PAD can become a very serious condition. The clogged arteries cause decreased blood flow to the legs, which can result in pain when walking, and eventually lead to gangrene and amputation.

One symptom of PAD is intermittent claudication—pain that occurs when a person walks and subsides when s/he stops. Another symptom is a wound on the leg that won’t heal or takes a very long time to heal. A loss of hair on the lower legs can be another warning sign of PAD.

Peripheral Artery Disease Treatment - PAD - TN

PAD Brochure

Diagnosing PAD

If you think you might have PAD, your doctor can perform a simple test on your legs to assess your risk. The doctors at Memphis Vascular Center can also perform this test, as well as other diagnostic imaging tests that can be used to ascertain the extent of your disease.

Treatment for PAD at Memphis Vascular Center

If detected early, many with PAD can be treated just with smoking cessation and a medically supervised exercise program. This is known as conservative treatment.

If conservative treatment isn’t working and the problem progresses, the interventional radiologists at Memphis Vascular Center can perform a procedure called balloon angioplasty to open a blocked artery and placing a stent to hold the artery open, if needed. Atherectomy is another technique to treat PAD. It removes plaque from the wall of the blood vessel with a sharp blade attached to a catheter. The cleared plaque is drawn into the catheter and removed from the body.