How is peripheral vascular disease (PVD) treated?
-
Dr. NavYash Gupta of NorthShore University HealthSystem answered:Treatment for peripheral vascular disease (PVD) depends on many factors, including the location of the blockage, the extent of the blockage, your age and your other medical risk factors. Blockages may be treated with minimally invasive techniques such as angioplasty and stenting.
Treatment for peripheral vascular disease (PVD) depends on many factors, including the location of the blockage, the extent of the blockage, your age and your other medical risk factors. Blockages may be treated with minimally invasive... More -
If tests show that you have peripheral vascular disease (PVD), your doctor will discuss your treatment options with you. Possible treatments for vascular disease include:
- Lifestyle changes. You can control many of the factors that cause PVD.
- Medication. You might receive medication to help control your cholesterol or blood pressure, help your body remove extra fluid, keep your blood from clotting easily, or help clear your arteries.
- Compression stockings. Special stockings, sometimes called T.E.D. hose, squeeze your lower legs to help keep the blood flowing.
- Catheter-based treatments. A catheter (a thin, flexible tube) may be inserted through your skin into a major blood vessel and threaded to the area that needs treatment. The catheter can carry an empty balloon that is then inflated to compress the plaque and open up the artery. A stent, a wire mesh support, can also be inserted to help prop an artery open.
- Surgery. Surgery might be used to remove faulty veins, repair vein valves, bypass a section of blocked artery, or clean out plaque buildup.
If tests show that you have peripheral vascular disease (PVD), your doctor will discuss your treatment options with you. Possible treatments for vascular disease include: Lifestyle changes. You can control many of the factors that cause... More -
Dr. Justin Levisay of NorthShore University HealthSystem answered:There are multiple treatments. If the peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is in the legs, depending on the severity I will generally attempt a trial with medications to relieve the symptoms. If it is severe disease or medical therapy fails to improve symptoms, remaining options include minimally invasive procedures involving balloons and sometimes stents or a surgical bypass using a vein or artificial graft. With regards to PVD in the kidneys it is treated almost exclusively with balloons and stents. Disease of the carotid artery can be treated surgically or with a balloon/stent.There are multiple treatments. If the peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is in the legs, depending on the severity I will generally attempt a trial with medications to relieve the symptoms. If it is severe disease or medical therapy fails... More -
Lifestyle changes: Eating less cholesterol and fat, especially saturated fat, may reduce the amount of plaque in the arteries. Weight loss of as little as 10 pounds may lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels.
People with PVD are encouraged to quit smoking because it may worsen symptoms. Quitting smoking will slow the progress of PVD.
Exercise can lower blood pressure, increase the level of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), and improve the overall health of blood vessels and the heart. It also helps control weight, control diabetes, and reduce stress. Thirty minutes daily of exercise is normally recommended. Patients should talk to their doctors before starting a new exercise program.
Medications for claudication: Medications used to treat PVD and intermittent claudication include those that aim to lower the risk and progression of atherosclerosis throughout the body, such as those that help quit smoking, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and optimize the blood sugar in people with diabetes.
Two prescription medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the direct treatment of the symptom of intermittent claudication. Pentoxifylline (Trental®) is believed to improve blood flow by decreasing the viscosity (thickness) of blood and making red blood cells more flexible. With these alterations, the blood can move more easily past obstructions in the blood vessel. Cilostazol (Pletal®) keeps platelets from clumping together. This clumping promotes formation of clots and slows down blood flow. The drug also helps dilate, or expand, the blood vessels, encouraging the flow of blood.
Bypass surgery: Bypass surgery can be done on arteries to improve circulation. Bypass surgery involves using one of the individual's own veins or a synthetic graft to re-route blood around a segment of a narrow or blocked artery. Blood flow then goes from the artery, through the bypassed graft, and out to the rest of the body.
You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Lifestyle changes: Eating less cholesterol and fat, especially saturated fat, may reduce the amount of plaque in the arteries. Weight loss of as little as 10 pounds may lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels. People with PVD are... More
