Lower-Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease Imagery

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) is the narrowing or occlusion of an artery or arteries of the limb. Most commonly caused by atherosclerosis, less common causes include thromboembolism, trauma, entrapment syndromes and vasculitis including vasospastic disorders and buerger's disease. Disorder of the arterial system produces complications ranging from minor disabilities to loss of the limb. Acute peripheral arterial occlusions usually involve the infrainguinal segment. The essence of atherosclerotic disease lies in intraluminal stenosis, impeding blood circulation and causing acute thrombosis. Emboli usually lodge at bifurcations, but may also involve arterial segments, resulting in turbulent distal flow and impaired tissue perfusion. This disease is an independent risk factor for vascular disease in other regions, resulting in an increased chance of cardiovascular events and increased mortality. It negatively affects the functional condition of the limbs, causing a decrease in the quality of life. Therefore, early diagnosis and effective treatment is usually rewarded with good outcome and averts dreadful complications. Conventional digital subtraction angiography is considered as the gold-standard technique.