Peripheral Artery Disease

UT Southwestern Medical Center’s experienced vascular specialists and interventional radiologists work to provide early diagnosis and treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). For patients who require treatment, we take a multidisciplinary approach to offer the latest techniques to help ease symptoms.

What Is Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)?

Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is a circulation disorder in which the legs and feet do not receive enough blood flow. Although some individuals with PAD don’t have symptoms, many experience an inability to walk at a normal pace or a painful cramping that impacts their quality of life.

PAD is characterized by a narrowing of the vessels that carry blood to the leg. It used to be called peripheral vascular disease.

With the help of a UT Southwestern vascular surgeon, the accumulation of plaque in blood vessels can be removed, stented, or bypassed, allowing patients with PAD to achieve a renewed state of health.

Our vascular medicine physicians and surgeons are specialists in treating all forms of PAD.

Early Intervention for PAD

Approximately half the individuals diagnosed with PAD are symptom-free. For those experiencing symptoms, the most common symptom is leg discomfort that occurs with exercise and is relieved by rest. The pain disappears during rest because the muscles need less blood flow. Pain can occur in one or both legs, depending on the location of the clogged or narrowed arteries.

Early diagnosis can help patients make lifestyle changes and begin medications to help with PAD symptoms and reduce complications. Complications can include:

• Amputation
• Heart attack
• Infection
• Loss of mobility
• Stroke 

How Is PAD Diagnosed?

We diagnose PAD by carefully evaluating an individual’s medical history and using advanced imaging techniques for assessment. These include:

• Angiography, including computed tomography (CT) angiography
• Ultrasound
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Once PAD is diagnosed, we will recommend medication and lifestyle changes to help minimize the risk of a heart attack or stroke. 

What Are Treatments for PAD?

If medication or lifestyle changes are not sufficient to manage the symptoms of PAD, a specialist may recommend an angioplasty treatment or surgical procedure.

By assessing the amount and location of plaque buildup that could be occurring in a patient’s blood vessels, our surgeons can determine whether he or she is a good candidate for a stent or a balloon angioplasty. These procedures are performed by placing catheters (plastic tubes) through the skin (percutaneously) into the affected blood vessels and do not require an incision.

Depending on the patient’s specific condition, sometimes a bypass of the blockage is necessary. Our surgeons are experts at both minimally invasive procedures and open surgical techniques for all categories of PAD, including:

• Claudication (pain with walking)
• Rest pain (pain at rest)
• Gangrene or ulceration (critical limb ischemia)