Medical Articles
Vascular Surgery - The Basics
Definition – Peripheral vascular disease
Vascular occlusive disease of the arterial supply distal to the coronary arteries resulting in insufficient arterial supply to end organs.
Basic arterial anatomy

Presentation
Rutherford Classification:
- Mild claudication
- Moderate claudication
- Severe claudication
- Rest pain
- Minor tissue loss
- Major tissue loss
- Same as for Atherosclerosis
- Smoking
- Dyslipidemia
- Diabetes
- Hereditary
- Hypertension
Workup
- Only performed in cases where intervention is envisaged
- Clinical evaluation
- General
- Focused on the arterial supply of
the limb
- General workup
- Heart/Lungs/kidneys
- Arterial workup
- Delineate level of obstruction
- ABI/Arteriogram/CTA/MRA
- Clinical evaluation

Treatment
- Conservative
- Modification of risks
- Exercise
- Asprin/Clopidogrel
- Interventional
- PTA
- Stenting
- Open surgery
- Endarterectomy
- Bypass (Vein/prosthetic/combiation)
- Combination
