The narrowing down or obstruction of arteries supplying blood to the legs or the arms is the underlying cause of peripheral arterial disease, which affects your ability to move. Factors such as ageing, obesity, smoking, high level of cholesterol and familial history are thought to increase the risk of developing this condition.
To restore an adequate blood circulation to the extremities (arms and legs), our experts at Shefaa might recommend “Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA)”, in which a long, thin tube, a catheter, is inserted to reach the area of concern. An angiogram is used to determine the level and the exact site of occlusion or narrowing using a special dye to produce x-ray images of the peripheral arteries. A tiny balloon is then inflated at the problematic site to restore blood flow. To lower the risk of restenosis (recurrent blockage), a cylindrical coil of wire, a stent, might be needed. This stent might be a bare metal stent (BMS) or covered with a drug that is released in a controlled fashion to further prevent arterial occlusion.
This procedure is used with arteries such as the aorta (the main artery supplying the rest of the body with blood), the iliac arteries (supply blood to the legs), subclavian

arteries (supply the arms with blood), renal arteries (supply blood to the kidneys), and carotid arteries (supply the brain, and head with blood).
An abnormal dilation of the wall of the aorta as a result of wall weakening due to atherosclerosis (fat depositions) or vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) causes a condition known as “aortic aneurysms”, which is a potentially fatal condition if rupture occurs.

Instead of the old traditional, open surgery to repair aneurysm, our experts at Shefaa offer a novel and less invasive technique known as “Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR)”, which is safer and requires shorter hospital stay. In this approach, a tube of fabric supported by a coil of wire (stent graft) is inserted through a minor incision in the groin area by a catheter. The stent graft is then expanded in the dilated area to strengthen the blood vessel and prevent rupture. If the dilated part of the aorta is above the diaphragm (thorax area), a similar technique known as “Thoracic Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (TEVAR)” is applied to minimize the possibility of rupture.