If a short section of artery in the leg is affected by peripheral arterial disease (PAD), angioplasty may be used. This is a procedure in which a small, thin tube called a catheter is inserted through a blood vessel in the groin and guided to the affected artery. Diagnostic and treatment procedures are performed through the catheter.

A support device called a stent may be placed in a blood vessel to help hold it open. The stent is placed during angioplasty.

Should I have surgery (angioplasty or bypass surgery) for peripheral arterial disease?

Alternative treatments, such as ginkgo biloba and carnitine, may be used to help leg pain and to improve walking ability.

What to Think About

Angioplasty is used for severe localized disease that causes pain and limping during exercise (intermittent claudication), pain when at rest, or open sores (ulcers).

In general, angioplasty works best in larger arteries. Angioplasty has the best rates of success in the aorta and in the iliac arteries, which branch from the lower aorta. In the femoral arteries, angioplasty works better if the area of narrowing is short. In the past, doctors have preferred bypass surgery over angioplasty when the narrowing or blockages are in the popliteal and tibial arteries (which are small arteries). But angioplasty in these arteries is becoming more successful with advances in angioplasty.

The choice of angioplasty or bypass surgery depends on all of the following factors:

• Risks of the procedure.
• Size of the arteries.
• Number and length of the blockages or narrowing in the arteries.

Angioplasty may not be as effective as bypass surgery, especially in cases where multiple areas of blood vessels are narrowed or blocked.