When the main treatments are insufficient to treat the symptoms of peripheral arterial disease, revascularization is also used to restore blood flow to lower limbs.[1][2][3] This typically involves a procedure called balloon angioplasty, which widens blocked or narrowed arteries, consequently relieving intermittent claudication (calf pain during exercise) and improving exercise capacity and quality of life.[4][5]
Emerging treatment options include nitrate drugs (e.g., nitroglycerin), to improve blood flow; autologous stem cell therapy, to increase vascularization; and lower extremity electrical stimulation, to improve functional capacity.[3][6] But these options require further investigation before firm conclusions about their safety and efficacy are possible.
References
- ^Gerhard-Herman MD, Gornik HL, Barrett C, Barshes NR, Corriere MA, Drachman DE, Fleisher LA, Fowkes FG, Hamburg NM, Kinlay S, Lookstein R, Misra S, Mureebe L, Olin JW, Patel RA, Regensteiner JG, Schanzer A, Shishehbor MH, Stewart KJ, Treat-Jacobson D, Walsh ME2016 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation.(2017-Mar-21)
- ^Tsao CW, Aday AW, Almarzooq ZI, Alonso A, Beaton AZ, Bittencourt MS, Boehme AK, Buxton AE, Carson AP, Commodore-Mensah Y, Elkind MSV, Evenson KR, Eze-Nliam C, Ferguson JF, Generoso G, Ho JE, Kalani R, Khan SS, Kissela BM, Knutson KL, Levine DA, Lewis TT, Liu J, Loop MS, Ma J, Mussolino ME, Navaneethan SD, Perak AM, Poudel R, Rezk-Hanna M, Roth GA, Schroeder EB, Shah SH, Thacker EL, VanWagner LB, Virani SS, Voecks JH, Wang NY, Yaffe K, Martin SSHeart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2022 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association.Circulation.(2022-Feb-22)
- ^Golledge JUpdate on the pathophysiology and medical treatment of peripheral artery disease.Nat Rev Cardiol.(2022-Jul)
- ^Vemulapalli S, Dolor RJ, Hasselblad V, Subherwal S, Schmit KM, Heidenfelder BL, Patel MR, Schuyler Jones WComparative Effectiveness of Medical Therapy, Supervised Exercise, and Revascularization for Patients With Intermittent Claudication: A Network Meta-analysis.Clin Cardiol.(2015-Jun)
- ^Fakhry F, Fokkenrood HJ, Spronk S, Teijink JA, Rouwet EV, Hunink MGMEndovascular revascularisation versus conservative management for intermittent claudication.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2018-Mar-08)
- ^Jéhannin P, Craughwell M, Omarjee L, Donnelly A, Jaquinandi V, Mahé G, Le Faucheur AA systematic review of lower extremity electrical stimulation for treatment of walking impairment in peripheral artery disease.Vasc Med.(2020-Aug)