Peripheral Artery Disease Treatment
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a narrowing of the arteries that supply the legs, causing pain on walking and, when severe, threatening the limb. Treatment restores blood flow — through minimally invasive angioplasty and stenting or through bypass surgery — alongside medication, a supervised exercise program and risk-factor control.
Medically reviewed by the Florence Healthcare medical team · Last reviewed June 2026
Overview
In PAD, fatty deposits narrow the leg arteries so muscles do not get enough blood. Early on this causes cramping leg pain when walking (claudication); in advanced disease it can cause rest pain, non-healing wounds or gangrene (critical limb ischemia) that threaten the limb. Treatment is matched to severity: minimally invasive angioplasty (a balloon that widens the artery, often with a stent) for many blockages, or bypass surgery that reroutes blood around a blocked segment with a graft. Supervised exercise, medication and aggressive risk-factor control are central to every plan.
Our vascular team maps the circulation and recommends the least invasive effective option. International patients receive a remote review of their scans and a clear, itemized estimate before traveling.
Who is a candidate?
- Leg pain on walking (claudication) that limits daily life
- Rest pain in the foot, especially at night
- Non-healing foot ulcers or gangrene (critical limb ischemia)
- Symptoms that persist despite medication and exercise
- Blockages with anatomy suitable for angioplasty or bypass
What happens
- 1
Preparation
Doppler ultrasound and CT or MR angiography map the blockages and decide between an endovascular and a surgical approach.
- 2
During the procedure
For an endovascular procedure, a catheter is passed into the artery and a balloon — often with a stent — reopens the narrowed segment. For a bypass, the surgeon uses a graft to carry blood around the blockage.
- 3
Recovery & follow-up
Endovascular patients mobilize quickly; bypass needs a longer recovery. A risk-factor and exercise program and follow-up scans help keep the artery open.
Benefits
- Relieves leg pain and improves walking distance
- Minimally invasive options for many patients
- Can preserve a threatened limb
- Treats both short and long blockages
- Combined with a structured risk-factor program
Risks & considerations
- Re-narrowing of the treated artery (restenosis) over time
- Bleeding or bruising at the access site
- Blood clots
- Graft complications after bypass, and the usual surgical risks
Conditions this treats
Where it is performed
This procedure is delivered by our Heart Center.
Learn more before you decide
Provider-reviewed guides on the related conditions, symptoms and tests in our Health Library.
Peripheral Artery Disease Treatment — frequently asked questions
It depends on where the blockages are and how long they are. Shorter, focal narrowings often suit angioplasty and stenting; long or complex blockages may need a bypass. Your scans guide the decision.
Treatment restores blood flow and relieves symptoms, but PAD is a long-term condition — stopping smoking and controlling cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes are essential to keep arteries healthy.
It is one of the single most important things you can do; continuing to smoke greatly increases the risk of the artery narrowing again.
After angioplasty most people return to normal activity within days; a bypass takes several weeks.
Yes — send your Doppler or angiography results for a remote second opinion before you travel.
You receive a transparent, itemized estimate before any procedure.
Related treatments
Considering peripheral artery disease treatment?
Share your reports for a medical second opinion and a transparent, itemized cost estimate — usually within 48 hours.