Stay Positive


"In the midst of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."

- Alert Camus








Monday, March 19, 2012

Peripheral artery bypass - leg

This post is being made because some of the symptoms match my experience with leg weakness.  M.S. often includes leg weakness and pain. 

Dealing with M.S. can turn you into a bit of a hypochondriac "waiting or the next shoe to drop" and looking for new symptoms to arise. Someone you know develops a condition and you see common symptoms to your own.  You hold out hope for a treatable condition to replace your M.S. and this causes you to want another disease that is curable. 

Always wanting to change places does not create a response to your own disease.  M.S. must be faced and strategies for thriving with M.S. need to be developed.

Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007394.htm


Peripheral artery bypass - leg

Peripheral artery bypass is surgery to reroute the blood supply around a blocked artery in one of your legs. Your peripheral arteries can become blocked with fatty material that builds up inside them. This is called atherosclerosis.
Peripheral artery bypass surgery can be done in one or more of these arteries to treat a blockage:
Aorta -- the main artery that comes from your heart
Iliac artery -- in your hip
Femoral artery -- in your thigh
Popliteal artery -- behind your knee
Tibial and peroneal artery -- in your lower leg
Axillary artery -- in your armpit


Why the Procedure is Performed

Symptoms of a blocked peripheral artery are pain, achiness, or heaviness in your leg that starts or gets worse when you walk.


You may not need bypass surgery if these problems happen only when you walk and then go away when you rest. You may not need this surgery if you can still do most of your everyday activities. Your doctor can try medicines and other treatments first.

Reasons for having arterial bypass surgery of the leg are:

Your symptoms keep you from doing your everyday tasks.

Your symptoms do not get better with other treatment.

You have skin ulcers (sores) or wounds on your leg that do not heal.

You have pain in your leg from your narrowed arteries even when you are resting or at night.



 
Outlook (Prognosis)

Bypass surgery improves blood flow in the arteries for most people. You may not have symptoms anymore, even when you walk. If you still have symptoms, you should be able to walk much farther before they start.

Your results will depend on where your blockage was, the size of the blood vessel, and whether you have a blockage in your other arteries.


References

Creager MA and Libby P. Peripheral arterial disease. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Libby: Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Saunders; 2007:chap 57.

Eisenhauer AC, White CJ. Endovascular treatment of noncoronary obstructive vascular disease. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 59.


Update Date: 1/25/2011


Updated by: Shabir Bhimji, MD, PhD, Specializing in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Midland, TX. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Browse the Encyclopedia

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007394.htm

MedlinePlus Topics

Peripheral Arterial Disease


The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2011, A.D.



Conclusion:
Your general practitioner can quickly locate a pulse on your leg to put your mind at ease, if you do not have arterial disease.




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