Peripheral arterial disease

Abstract

The most widely recognized peripheral vascular disease in adults is obstructive atherosclerosis of the extremities or peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The traditional term arteriosclerosis obliterans distinguishes the development of obstructive lesions from normal aging by which the arteries increase in diameter, rigidity, and calcium content (1). The disease was defined in 1958 by the World Health Organization as a variable combination of changes of the intima or arteries (as distinguished from arterioles) consisting of the focal accumulation of lipids, complex carbohydrates, blood and blood products, fibrous tissue and calcium deposits, and associated with medial changes (2). © 2006 Humana Press Inc.