Atherosclerosis is a disease of the large and medium-sized arteries resulting in luminal stenosis, resulting from accumulation of lipids and fibrosis between the arterial intima and its media. It is a multifocal, immune-inflammatory disease of muscular arteries provoked by lipids. Endothelial cells, leukocytes, and intimal smooth muscle cells are the major tools in progress of this disease,…

Welcome to the February 2021 edition of Vascular Disease Management. There are multiple articles of interest this month. I have chosen to comment on Dr. Osama Shoeib and colleagues’ article “Transradial Carotid Artery Stenting Complicated With Neck Hematoma, Conservative is a Valid Option!” I have chosen this article not only because of the management of the small arterial perforation that lead…

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) represents a partial or total obstruction of the superior vena cava (SVC). The obstruction may be acute or chronic. Various etiologies of SVCS have been reported. It includes an extrinsic compression, an infiltration of the venous wall by a tumor or, more rarely, a thrombosis.1-3 The syndrome was first described by William Hunter in 1757.

Carotid artery stenting (CAS)—when performed by an experienced operator using an embolic protection device—provides a good alternative for carotid endarterectomy in high-risk patients. While femoral artery access is considered the gold standard during CAS, alternative access using the radial artery may be preferred in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).1

Critical limb threatening ischemia (CLTI) is the manifestation of advanced lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD), typically afflicting patients with underlying significant comorbidities.

A 52-year-old man with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, including arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II, was referred to our interventional cardiology unit because of a poor response to year-long treatment with different phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) taken for severe erectile disfunction (International Index of Erectile Function-5 = 6).

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) are the onset of arterial occlusions leading to symptoms associated with claudication and angina, respectively. In most cases, the stenosis is due to the development of atherosclerotic plaques. However, certain genetically predisposed individuals have a propensity to be in a hypercoagulable state and have thrombotic or…

What does a complex multi-billion cell organism, like a human, and a simple, single-cell organism, like an amoeba, have in common? Both have a primal desire to avoid noxious stimuli. How is this related to having an Office Based Lab (OBL)?

Desert foot or end-stage foot comprises up to 20% of critical limb threatening ischemia (CLTI) patients, and is characterized by occlusions of the foot arteries including the dorsal pedis, lateral tarsal artery, both plantar arteries, and the plantar arch.1 Patients with end-stage foot are commonly diabetic and/or have advanced chronic kidney disease. These patients are at very high risk for…

Recent estimates suggest that over 965,000 percutaneous coronary interventions are performed in the United States annually. Although the prevalence of radial catheterization is increasing, many cardiac procedures and most peripheral angiography and interventional procedures are performed via femoral vascular access.