Peripheral Vascular Disease: Unblocking Blood Vessels with Minimally Invasive Treatments

Cardiovascular and neurovascular specialists provide diagnosis and treatment of narrowing or blockage of blood vessels leading to and from the kidneys, abdomen and legs. Lankenau has a lab specially designed for peripheral cases.

Peripheral Vascular Disease or PVD affects about 8.4 million Americans, and it can cause serious complications. 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 peripheral vascular diseases don't have an organic cause. That means they don't involve defects in blood vessels' structure. (The blood vessels aren't physically damaged in some way.) These diseases often have symptoms related to a spasm that may come and go. Raynaud's disease is an example. In Raynaud's disease, restricted circulation can be triggered by cold temperatures, emotional stress, working with vibrating machinery or smoking.
  
  
• Organic peripheral vascular diseases are caused by structural changes in the blood vessels. Examples could include inflammation and tissue damage. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a type of organic PVD. It is the most common and important type of PVD. It's caused by fatty buildups (atherosclerosis)  in the inner walls of arteries that block normal blood flow. Blocked arteries can lead to leg pain and potential limb loss. High blood pressure can be caused by blocked arteries to the kidneys. Blocked carotid arteries and hypertension can lead to stroke. PAD affects 8–12 million Americans. And it becomes more common as one gets older, and by age 70, about 20 percent of the population has it. Diagnosis is critical, as people with PAD face a six-to-seven times higher risk of heart attack or stroke.