Angioplasty is used to break up plaque in an artery. 1. A guidewire is inserted through the plaque. 2. A balloon catheter on the end of the guidewire is inflated, breaking up the plaque. 3. The doctor inserts a stent with a balloon catheter.

Treatment for PAD

The kind of treatment you will receive for periperal artery disease (PAD) depends on your symptoms, test results and doctor recommendations.

The following are different types of procedures or surgeries used to treat PAD.

Balloon angioplasty/stent

This procedure repairs short segments of a narrowed or blocked artery, using a small balloon on the end of a tube (catheter). This is the main treatment for PAD.

Your doctor uses a guidewire to guide a balloon-tipped catheter through the plaque.
He or she injects X-ray dye to take an X-ray of the blocked artery.
With the catheter in place, the doctor will slowly inflate the balloon. It pushes the plaque to the sides of your artery, which lets more blood flow through your arteries.
The balloon will be inflated and deflated many times to flatten the plaque.
Your doctor will remove the balloon catheter.
Your doctor may want to insert a stent — a small, mesh wire tube — that helps keep the artery open. The stent is placed on the end of a balloon catheter. When the doctor inflates the balloon, the stent expands in the artery. The doctor deflates the balloon catheter and removes it. The stent says in place.

After about 4 weeks, your artery builds a coating of cells around the stent. It will feel like a normal artery wall. More about angioplasty...

Thrombolytic therapy

This procedure delivers special medicine through your vein or artery. The medicine dissolves blood clots in your blood vessel.

Endarterectomy

This surgery involves opening the diseased blood vessel and removing the plaque.

Embolectomy

This surgery involves removing a blood clot from an artery.
Bypass uses a healthy vein or a synthetic vein to restore blood flow.

Bypass

This surgery can be done on arteries to improve circulation.

Bypass surgery involves using one of your own veins or a synthetic graft to re-route blood around a segment of a narrow or blocked artery. Blood flow then goes from the artery, through the bypassed graft and out to the rest of your leg.

Your health care team will talk with you about bypass surgery if it is right for you.