Peripheral Vascular Surgery

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) refers to diseases of blood vessels outside the heart and brain. It’s often a narrowing of vessels that carry blood to the legs, arms, stomach or kidneys. There are two types of these circulation disorders: Functional PVD doesn’t have an organic cause. It doesn’t involve defects in blood vessels’ structure. It’s usually short term and related to spasms that may come and go. Raynaud’s disease is an example. It can be triggered by cold temperatures, emotional stress, working with vibrating machinery or smoking.
Organic PVD is caused by structural changes in the blood vessels, such as inflammation and tissue damage. Peripheral artery disease is an example. It’s caused by fatty buildups in arteries that block normal blood flow.

Risk factors of PVD are primarily diabetes or smoking.

Symptoms of PVD depend on what artery is affected and how severely the blood flow is reduced. For example, you may experience a dull, cramping pain, numbness or tingling, or a change in skin color.
If your doctor suspects you may have PVD, he or she may order an ultrasound Doppler (a test that looks at blood circulation in the arteries of the legs to see if there is any blockage) or an ankle brachial test (measuring blood pressure at the ankle and in the arm while a person is at rest).
Treatments typically are medication, surgery, minimally invasive interventional procedures or a combination of these therapies.
Medications can be used alone or in combination with other treatments. Although the medicine doesn’t eliminate the narrowing of the arteries, it can help improve the efficiency of the heart and reduce symptoms such as leg pain, claudication (cramping pain and weakness in the legs) and hypertension (high blood pressure).