The best treatment for PVD depends on a number of factors, including overall health, the location of the affected artery or arteries, and the size and cause of the blockage or narrowing. Some PVD can be controlled with lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and improving diet and exercise. Some cases may require more proactive treatment, such as interventional radiology procedures to unblock arteries, bypass grafts, stent implants, angioplasty, and laser treatment. In an emergency or perioperative basis, anticoagulants, or blood thinning agents, may be used. Any of these procedures usually require consultation with a vascular surgeon who can best explain the pros and cons of each technique for the patient’s particular anatomy and blockages. Doppler ultrasound of potentially affected areas can help determine how successfully blood flows to the extremities. A test known as an ankle-brachial index (ABI) helps to determine the blood pressure in the upper and lower extremities and compare the two. Based on the results of ABI, as well as your symptoms and risk factors for PVD, a physician can determine the need for further tests. When the ABI indicates that an individual may have PVD, a physician may use other imaging techniques to confirm the diagnosis, including duplex ultrasound and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography (CT) angiography.
