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Peripheral Artery Disease

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Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral Artery Disease Treatment in Chicago

Peripheral artery disease treatment consists of non-surgical procedures for blocked arteries in the legs, which can be performed at one of the Chicago area Adventist Midwest Health locations. Balloon angioplasty, laser angioplasty, atherectomy, stent placement, and thrombolysis are a few of the non-surgical procedures that are offered.

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) usually results from arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries associated with cholesterol deposits). Many causes have been identified including elevated cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, and congenital factors. The symptoms usually begin with pain in the calves or legs when walking, that is relieved by rest (this symptom is called "claudication"). Hip and thigh pain may be caused by PAD, as may erectile dysfunction.

Interventional radiologists can perform non-surgical procedures such as balloon angioplasty, laser angioplasty, atherectomy, stent placement and thrombolysis to open blocked arteries and restore circulation to the legs. We also supervise non-procedural clinical exercise programs, medical therapy and treatment of peripheral artery disease through our clinic.

Even patients with severely low blood flow causing gangrene may have their limbs saved by interventional radiology (see photos or before and after intervention at bottom of page). All the physicians in our group, VIR, hold sub-specialty board certification to perform image guided endovascular repair of peripheral arteries (unlike any cardiologist or vascular surgeon). We have performed these procedures for over 25 years, on thousands of patients who are seeking peripheral artery disease treatment.

Balloon Angioplasty

The balloon angioplasty procedure, used for peripheral artery disease treatment, can open blocked arteries by expanding the inner diameter with a balloon mounted on a thin tube. The catheter is inserted via a tiny nick in the skin, usually in the groin area (see photo). Cardiologists are trained to do this procedure in the heart. Interventional radiologists are trained to do balloon angioplasty in vessels outside the heart. Studies from the interventional radiology literature show the procedure is longer lasting in the larger arteries supplying the legs. We use laser angioplasty to open a channel in a completely blocked artery (see video below).

A catheter enters the artery via a tiny skin nick. This is not painful.

Our radiologists specialize in balloon angioplasty.

Click to see video of laser angioplasty.

Stenting Stents are mesh-like metal tubes that can be expanded inside arteries to hold them open when balloon angioplasty alone isn't successful (see photo). Our doctors placed the first available flexible metal stent into a human in Illinois in 1986. Stent grafts (fabric covered stents) are used in peripheral arteries to cover long distances, or to seal over bleeding areas.

An atherectomy catheter scrapes plaque out of an artery.		Atherectomy A special catheter can scrape out deposits blocking an artery to open it.
Thrombolysis This alternate peripheral artery disease treatment involves injecting "clot-busting" drugs via a catheter directly into clots in leg arteries (or veins). The clots can be melted down to avoid surgery. We sometimes use mechanical thrombolysis, in which a tiny “blender-like” catheter-device sucks out clot from a blocked artery to open the vessel faster. A mechanical thrombectomy catheter creates a vortex, and sucks out clot from a blocked artery.
If you or a friend or loved one may have peripheral arterial disease or symptoms suggesting it, ask your doctor. We invite you to contact us for a consultation on peripheral artery disease treatment options or call us directly at (630) 856-7460.		(Left) Gangrene of the toes from severe peripheral arterial disease, before angioplasty. (Right) After successful improvement of blood flow by angioplasty, gangrene is healed.