Peripheral Arterial Disease

Alate Health

Interventional Radiology Clinic located in Houston, TX

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects one in every 20 Americans older than age 50, increasing their risk for cardiovascular problems like stroke and heart attack. However, early detection can reduce your risk of serious complications. Andrew Doe, MD, founded Alate Health in Houston and is now assisted by Sandra Newberry, MD to provide the highest-quality diagnostic and interventional radiology care available in a comfortable outpatient setting. To learn more about peripheral arterial disease screenings and treatment, call Alate Health or schedule an appointment online today.

Peripheral Arterial Disease Q & A

What is peripheral arterial disease?

Peripheral arterial disease, also known as PAD or peripheral vascular disease (PVD), is a condition that develops when narrowed blood vessels reduce the amount of blood flowing to your limbs. This circulatory condition often causes no symptoms or those easily attributed to other problems.

Common signs of PAD/PVD include:

Leg pain that wakes you up at night
Muscle cramps in your calves, thighs, or hips while walking, exercising, or climbing stairs
Toe or foot wounds that heal slowly or not at all
Decreased temperature in the affected lower leg or foot
Slow toenail or leg hair growth

Without treatment, PAD/PVD can lead to serious complications, including amputation. Early detection and intervention can help you avoid surgery and amputation. At Alate Health, Dr. Doe and his team provide state-of-the-art testing to diagnose peripheral arterial disease and offers minimally invasive treatment in a comfortable, modern setting.

What causes peripheral arterial disease?

PAD/PVD develops when you have fatty deposits within the walls of your blood vessels. Over time, this causes your blood vessels to narrow, which reduces blood flow to your legs. In most cases, your lifestyle and genetics play a significant role in whether you develop PAD/PVD.

Factors that increase your chances of peripheral arterial disease include:

Smoking cigarettes
Having cardiovascular diseases or diabetes
Living with high blood pressure (hypertension) or high cholesterol
Being overweight or obese

Your chances of developing PAD/PVD is also higher if you’re physically inactive.

How is peripheral arterial disease treated?

Dr. Doe and his team use the latest technology to check for PAD/PVD. These painless tests are covered by insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare. The team also offers cutting-edge, minimally invasive techniques performed under mild sedation in the practice’s state-of-the-art procedure suites, like balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, or stenting.

Balloon angioplasty

Balloon angioplasty involves a precisely placed catheter with a balloon on the tip. Your Alate Health provider inflates this balloon to flatten plaque against the artery wall and improve blood flow through the vein.

Atherectomy

Atherectomy uses a small device to cut plaque out and remove the source of your narrowed artery or blockage. The Alate Health team use the most advanced, controllable atherectomy devices available.

Stenting

Stenting involves inserting metal tubes inside the artery to hold it open. The Alate Health team only use stenting when necessary because it’s no more effective than angioplasty and requires blood-thinning medications to help keep the arteries open.

To learn more about the available treatments for peripheral arterial disease, call Alate Health or schedule an appointment online today.