The information on these pages is intended for general knowledge purposes only. If you have or think you have any of these conditions, you should contact your physician immediately. If you do not have a physician, contact: Hartford Hospital's Health Referral Services: Phone: 860.545.1888 Email: CLICK HERE

Peripheral Vascular Disease

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. PVD may also affect the arteries leading to your head. The main forms that PVD may take include blood clots, swelling (inflammation), or narrowing and blockage of the blood vessels.

Signs and Symptoms

Patients may feel pain in their calves, thighs, or buttocks, depending on where the blockage is. Usually, the amount of pain you feel is a sign of how severe the blockage is. In serious cases, your toes may turn a bluish color, your feet may be cold, and the pulse in your legs may be weak. In some cases, the tissue dies (this is called gangrene) and amputation may be needed.

Sometimes leg cramps develop when a person walks, and the leg pain usually gets worse with increased activity and usually goes away with rest. Cold temperatures and some medicines may also cause leg pain.

Diagnosis

Doctors can make a diagnosis by listening to you describe your symptoms and by checking for a weak pulse in the arteries in your feet. Further tests may include Ultrasound, which is a test that uses sound waves to produce an image of blood flow through your arteries, or Arteriography, which is a test that may be performed if your doctor thinks your condition is serious enough for intervention or surgery. The test uses a harmless dye that is injected into the arteries. It lets doctors see where and how serious the blockage is.

How is a blockage treated?

When the blockages are not severe, this form of PVD can be controlled by losing weight, quitting smoking, and following a regular exercise program that has been approved by your doctor.

A transcatheter intervention (balloon angioplasty or a peripheral stent) may be needed for a severely blocked artery that is causing pain or other symptoms.

Your doctor may also recommend a procedure called a peripheral vascular bypass. This procedure creates a way for blood to flow around one or more of the narrowed vessels. After making an incision in your arm or leg or below your stomach, the surgeon will take an artificial vessel or one of your own veins (called a graft) and connect it to the blocked vessel at points above and below the blockage. This allows blood to flow around, or "bypass," the blockage.

For more information on PVD, contact your physician, or

On the Web:
MedLine Plus: http://www.medlineplus.com

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