Atherosclerotic Peripheral Artery Disease: Clinical Management

Abstract

The diagnosis of atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is often overlooked because the vast majority of patients are either asymptomatic or have atypical symptoms (Anderson JL et al., Circulation 127:1425–1443, 2013; Hirsch AT et al., JAMA 286(11):1317–1324, 2001a). Furthermore, even when atherosclerotic PAD is appropriately diagnosed, these patients are still consistently undertreated (Hirsch AT et al., Vasc Med 6(Suppl 3):9–12, 2001b). In an era when there remains a discordance between the implications of a disease process and the attention that is given to it, familiarity with the diagnostic modalities and treatment strategies cannot be underemphasized. The following chapter will be a comprehensive review of both the diagnosis and medical management of atherosclerotic PAD.