Strong Heart and Vascular Center

Division of Vascular Surgery

Contact Us New & Existing Patients If you'd like to schedule an appointment, call us at 585-341-7030. Referring Physicians To refer a patient for a consultation, call us at 585-341-7030.

Leg Artery Disease

What is Leg Artery Disease?

Leg artery disease is a partial or complete blockage of circulation through the arteries of the leg. Usually caused by atherosclerosis, this compromised blood flow can cause discomfort or pain while walking and can occur in the hip, buttock, thigh, knee, shin, or upper foot.

Risk factors for leg artery disease include:

• Diabetes mellitus
• Smoking
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• High blood cholesterol
• Male gender
• Advanced age
• Sedentary lifestyle

Symptoms of Leg Artery Disease

The symptoms of leg artery disease are:

• Intermittent claudication - Pain, heaviness, cramping, or weakness in the muscles of one or both legs brought on by physical activity such as walking. The pain after a person stops to rest.
  
  
• As leg artery disease progresses, leg pain may occur at shorter walking distances.
  
  
• Critical limb ischemia - Pain in the arches of their feet or toes while lying down caused by reduced blood flow preventing tissues from getting enough oxygen at rest. To relieve this pain, people sit up and dangle their legs over the side of the bed or walk about the room.
  
  
• Ulcers and gangrene - Severe cases may cause ulcers (dry, gray, or black sores) and gangrene (dead tissue)

• Measuring the blood pressure in the legs
• Testing blood cholesterol levels
• Listening to strength of the pulse in arteries behind the knee and on the foot. Weak or absent pulses in those areas may indicate leg artery disease.
• Ankle-brachial index (ABI)

• Duplex ultrasound
• Pulse volume recording
• Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
• Arteriography (angiography)
  

Treatment Options

Lifestyle changes can be used to treat leg artery disease when it is diagnosed early, such as:

• Quit smoking
• Follow a diet low in fat, cholesterol, and calories to reduce blood cholesterol levels and help prevent the progression of atherosclerosis
• Exercising - walk for at least 30 minutes 3 times each week

Medications considered by your physician may include:

• Antihypertensives
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as statins
• Antiplatelet drugs
• Cilostazol (trade name Pletal)

If the disease is too advanced to respond to lifestyle changes or medication a minimally invasive procedures:

• Angioplasty and stenting

Surgical methods of treatment include:

• Surgical bypass
• Endarterectomy
• Sympathectomy
• Amputation
  (in severely advanced cases where gangrene - or tissue death - has occured, amputation, or removal of the lower leg or foot, may be required. More than 90 percent of patients with gangrene who are seen by a vascular surgeon can avoid amputation or have the procedure limited to a portion of the toes, especially if the gangrene is discovered early.)