Peripheral Vascular Disease Specialist

What is peripheral vascular disease?

Peripheral vascular disease is a term for disorders affecting your blood vessels. Conditions that come under the peripheral vascular disease umbrella include:

• Coronary artery disease (CAD)
• Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
• Carotid artery disease
• Phlebitis
• Chronic venous insufficiency 
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Some of these conditions affect the arteries, which carry fresh, oxygen-rich blood all around your body. Others affect your veins, the blood vessels that take blood back to your heart once it delivers oxygen.

The most common cause of arterial vascular disease is atherosclerosis, in which cholesterol and waste products from your blood form a sticky coating called plaque that narrows the arteries. Venous diseases are often due to problems like poor circulation because of faulty valves in the veins.

What symptoms might peripheral vascular disease cause?

Peripheral vascular disease symptoms vary depending on the type of blood vessel affected, the cause of the disease, and how severe it is.

Venous conditions

Conditions affecting your veins often cause problems like leg pain, leg swelling, varicose veins, and non-healing wounds in your lower legs.

Arterial conditions

Peripheral artery disease also causes leg pain. However, in many cases, arterial vascular diseases don't cause symptoms until the artery suffers a severe or total blockage. If that happens, you could suffer a stroke or heart attack.

Aneurysms

Aneurysms are swollen sections of an artery where a balloon of blood builds up due to weakened artery walls. They may cause back or abdominal pain, but often don't give any sign there's a problem until they rupture, which is a potentially life-threatening medical emergency.

How is peripheral vascular disease diagnosed?

There are many advanced diagnostic tools available to help diagnose peripheral vascular disease, including:

• Electrocardiograms
• Echocardiograms
• Cardiac stress tests
• Ultrasound
• Nuclear testing
• Duplex ultrasound

The type of test you need depends on the suspected cause of your peripheral vascular disease.

What treatments are there for peripheral vascular disease?

The wide variation in types of peripheral vascular disease means there are also numerous potential treatments. University Vascular prepares a personalized treatment plan for you based on your diagnosis and factors like your age, general health, and personal preferences.

Some of the many possible treatments for peripheral vascular disease include:

• Lifestyle changes
• Medications
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Endovenous laser therapy
• Angiography and stenting
• Endarterectomy
• Thrombolytic therapy

To determine the cause of your symptoms or arrange a screening for peripheral vascular disease, call University Vascular or book an appointment online today.