Blockages in the arteries that carry blood to the legs result in the condition called peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Early PAD may not cause any symptoms. The most common symptom is intermittent claudication, a pain, discomfort, or vague heaviness in the legs that occurs with walking and is relieved with rest. More advanced disease can cause pain the legs or feet even at rest and may also result in sores on toes or feet.
Our approach to PAD is individually tailored to each individual patient. Lifestyle changes, walking exercise, and medications are utilized for the majority of patients. We try to avoid invasive procedures but intervention may be required for patients with severe symptoms,. Discrete localized blockages in major arteries can most often be treated with minimally invasive techniques; in such cases, we recommend angioplasty and stenting. Extensive, complex arterial blockages, however, are best treated by bypass surgery, a conventional open surgical technique. Depending on the specific circumstance, either a synthetic tube or the patient's own vein is used to create a detour around the blocked artery.
For more information, click on this link:
http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Leg_Artery_Disease.html