Peripheral artery disease: Pathology review
00:00 / 00:00
Videos
Notes
Peripheral artery disease: Pathology review
Cardiovascular system
Cardiac arrhythmias
Atrioventricular block
Bundle branch block
Pulseless electrical activity
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial flutter
Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT)
Premature atrial contraction
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Brugada syndrome
Long QT syndrome and Torsade de pointes
Premature ventricular contraction
Ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular tachycardia
Cardiac tumors
Cardiac tumors
Shock
Shock
Vascular disorders
Arterial disease
Aneurysms
Aortic dissection
Angina pectoris
Coronary steal syndrome
Myocardial infarction
Prinzmetal angina
Stable angina
Unstable angina
Abetalipoproteinemia
Familial hypercholesterolemia
Hyperlipidemia
Hypertriglyceridemia
Coarctation of the aorta
Conn syndrome
Cushing syndrome
Hypertension
Hypertensive emergency
Pheochromocytoma
Polycystic kidney disease
Renal artery stenosis
Hypotension
Orthostatic hypotension
Lymphangioma
Lymphedema
Peripheral artery disease
Subclavian steal syndrome
Nutcracker syndrome
Superior mesenteric artery syndrome
Angiosarcomas
Human herpesvirus 8 (Kaposi sarcoma)
Vascular tumors
Behcet's disease
Kawasaki disease
Vasculitis
Chronic venous insufficiency
Deep vein thrombosis
Thrombophlebitis
Cardiovascular system pathology review
Acyanotic congenital heart defects: Pathology review
Aortic dissections and aneurysms: Pathology review
Atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis: Pathology review
Cardiac and vascular tumors: Pathology review
Cardiomyopathies: Pathology review
Coronary artery disease: Pathology review
Cyanotic congenital heart defects: Pathology review
Dyslipidemias: Pathology review
Endocarditis: Pathology review
Heart blocks: Pathology review
Heart failure: Pathology review
Hypertension: Pathology review
Pericardial disease: Pathology review
Peripheral artery disease: Pathology review
Shock: Pathology review
Supraventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Valvular heart disease: Pathology review
Vasculitis: Pathology review
Ventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Assessments
Peripheral artery disease: Pathology review
USMLE® Step 1 questions
0 / 2 complete
Questions
USMLE® Step 1 style questions USMLE
of complete
Transcript
Content Reviewers
Contributors
Tariq is a 52-year-old individual who presents to the clinic complaining of left leg pain. He describes the pain as “cramping” and mostly located in his calf. He also mentions that the pain comes every time he walks from his home to the supermarket, and is relieved when he rests. Tariq also has a known history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and a myocardial infarction 2 years ago. On physical examination, there is a noticeable decrease in hair growth on the left side compared to the right, and the skin appears dry and shiny. There is no leg swelling, and there’s no back pain.
Peripheral artery disease is insufficient tissue perfusion due to narrowing or occlusion of the aorta or one of its peripheral branches supplying the limbs. Similar to coronary artery and cerebrovascular disease, the development of an atherosclerotic plaque that narrows or completely occludes an artery is the number one cause of peripheral artery disease, and so these diseases often coexist together.
So on the exam, an important clue may be an individual with a past medical history of a myocardial infarction or a stroke. In addition, look for risk factors of atherosclerosis, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking and hyperlipidemia.
The symptoms of peripheral artery disease depend on how bad the occlusion is. In the early stages of the disease individuals may be completely asymptomatic. One of the first symptoms is intermittent claudication. This is characterized by cramping pain in the affected area that comes about during exercise, and is relieved with rest.
Individuals often describe a specific and often consistent distance that brings about the pain, such as walking 2 blocks. The location of the pain can also help give a clue about which artery is occluded. For example, hip claudication indicates aortic or iliac artery occlusion, whereas calf claudication points towards femoral or popliteal artery occlusion.
Sources
- "Pathophysiology of Heart Disease" Wolters Kluwer Health (2015)
- "Lifestyle and Dietary Risk Factors for Peripheral Artery Disease" Circulation Journal (2014)
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, Twentieth Edition (Vol.1 & Vol.2)" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "Rapid Review Pathology" Elsevier (2018)
- "Medical treatment of peripheral arterial disease" JAMA (2006)
- "2016 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: Executive Summary" Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2017)
- "Cilostazol for intermittent claudication" Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2014)
For Institutions
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier, its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
Cookies are used by this site.
USMLE® is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Osmosis or this website.
