Occlusive arterial disease
Occlusive arterial disease of the lower limbs is characterised by deposits inside the arteries of the abdomen (iliac), and of the legs (femoral, popliteal, leg segments). By way of reminder, the shrinkage of coronary arteries fall under the purview of a cardiologist.
The symptoms are claudication in the lower limbs (pain in the legs when walking), pain when resting or lying down, or sores or ulcers in the lower limbs.
Occlusive lesion athéromateuse
The diagnosis is made in the consultation room by Doppler ultrasound, supplemented by an angiogram or magnetic resonance if necessary.
The treatment will depend on the state of the lesions. Most instances can nowadays be dealt with by minimally invasive endovascular treatment, i.e. inserting balloons inside the artery to dilate the passage and to place a stent where necessary if the arterial wall is dissected. This surgery is performed most often under local anaesthesia
To avoid an aggravation or relapse of the disease, the cardiovascular factors, i.e. blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, smoking and obesity, must be corrected and kept under control in all cases.
Endovascular treatment
Dilatation (3) and stenting (5) of the artery.
Surgical treatment
Femoropopliteal bypass of the artery
For more informations, go to useful documents or the website of la Société de Chirurgie Vasculaire et Endovasculaire de langue française (FR) (SCVE)
