Left untreated, PAD can lead to amputation

Ask a doctor about minimally invasive treatments

If you have peripheral artery diseasePeripheral artery disease (PAD) is a disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to your head, organs, and limbs. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, fibrous tissue, and other substances in the blood. (PADPeripheral Artery Disease, a potentially life threatening disease where plaque, like calcium, builds up along blood vessel walls, narrowing the arteries and reducing blood flow to the legs and feet.), your health care provider may have explained the disease and its treatment options. There are many medical procedures, terms and words you may be hearing about for the first time.

Below is an explanation of many of the procedures. You can download and complete our checklist and use the information below to talk to your doctor about PAD.

Your health care provider may recommend minimally invasiveIn minimally invasive surgery, surgeons use a variety of techniques to operate with less injury to the body than with open surgery. In general, it is safer than open surgery and allows you to recover faster and heal with less pain and scarring. treatment options²⁰ as an alternative to amputationTo surgically remove all or part of a limb (leg, foot or toe). These are medical procedures that can be less complicated than traditional procedures. In minimally invasive surgery, surgeons use a variety of techniques to operate with less injury to the body than with open surgery.

In general, it is safer than open surgery and allows you to recover faster and heal with less pain and scarring. AngioplastyIn this minimally invasive procedure, a small, hollow tube (catheter) is threaded through a blood vessel to the affected artery. A small balloon on the tip of the catheter is inflated to reopen the artery and flatten the blockage into the artery wall, while at the same time stretching the artery open to increase blood flow. and atherectomyA minimally invasive procedure to open blocked arteries by using a device on the end of a catheter to remove atherosclerotic plaque (a deposit of fat and other substances that accumulate in the lining of the artery wall). are types of minimally invasive procedures that your doctor may refer to as “endovascularThis means “inside blood vessels.” To perform endovascular procedures, surgeons use special technologies and instruments. These procedures require only a small incision or puncture in an artery or vein..” This means they are “inside the blood vessel” procedures. They are now performed more commonly than bypass surgery(Arterial bypass surgery) Your doctor will create a graft bypass using a vessel from another part of the body or a blood vessel made of synthetic fabric. This technique allows blood to flow around – or bypass – the blocked or narrowed artery. in the treatment of PAD.³²

Angioplasty

In this minimally invasive procedure, a small, hollow tube (called a catheter) is threaded through a blood vessel to the affected arteryArteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body.. There, a small balloon on the tip of the catheter is inflated to reopen the artery and flatten the blockage into the artery wall, while at the same time stretching the artery open to increase blood flow.³⁵ Your doctor may also insert a mesh framework called a stent in the artery to help keep it open. This is the same procedure doctors use to open heart arteriesArteries are blood vessels that carry blood to your heart and other parts of your body..³⁵

Stent

A stent is a tiny mesh framework in the shape of a tube that is placed in an artery to keep it open. Stents are often used in other procedures, such as angioplasty.

Atherectomy

Atherectomy is a minimally invasive procedure to open blocked arteries by using a device on the end of a catheter to remove atherosclerotic plaque³⁶ (a deposit of fat and other substances including calcium that accumulate in the lining of the artery wall).

Check with a health care professional to determine if a minimally invasive treatment is an option for you.

Schedule an appointment with your doctor today.

Use our Find a Doctor tool to locate a PAD specialist near you.

THE GOOD NEWS: There are many TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR PAD. So don’t wait. Discuss your symptoms with your doctor now.

Talk to Your Doctor

Only a health care professional can diagnose you with PAD. Our Symptom Quiz can help guide the conversation about your treatment options.

Take the Symptom Quiz

Click below to take the interactive Symptom Quiz. You can print your answers out and take them with you to a doctor to help guide your conversation about PAD.