Diagnosis of Peripheral Artery
Your doctor will rely on some tests and investigations to diagnose your conditions, such as:
- Physical examination to look for signs of peripheral artery disease and check blood flow in your legs and feet. It also helps your doctor listen for a whooshing sound in your leg arteries.
- Ankle-brachial index (ABI), which assess and compare blood pressure between your legs and arms
- Magnetic resonance angiography
- Peripheral angiography, in which your doctor uses a needle to put the dye in your bloodstream then takes an X-ray to determine the blocked arteries.
- Screening for peripheral artery disease
- Screening for peripheral artery disease and correlation to cardiovascular problems with ankle-brachial index
- Doppler ultrasound to check blood flow and determine the blocked arteries and the site of occlusion
- Blood tests to search for risk factors like high cholesterol and diabetes mellitus
The United States Preventive Services Task Force doesn’t recommend routine screening with ankle-brachial indexes because no evidence indicates that early detection leads to a better prognosis.
Peripheral artery disease has high-risk vascular complications, such as:
Myocardial infarction, stroke, renal artery disease, and mesenteric disease
The management of peripheral artery disease depends on its severity. The first step is lifestyle changes by cessation of smoking and regular exercise. Medications include medical treatment of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. If symptoms persist, surgical intervention is the next step. It includes angioplasty, bypass surgery, or thrombectomy. All procedures keep the blood vessel patent and restore blood flow.
