Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Baton Rouge Cardiology Center provides comprehensive services for the evaluation, diagnosis and management of a full range of vascular diseases.

Our laboratory specializes in services and diagnostic testing (including ultrasound, imaging and CT scanning) for common disorders such as:

  • Carotid artery disease
  • Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)

Just as cardiovascular disease involves narrowing of the arteries that go to the heart, peripheral artery disease (PAD) is the narrowing of arteries that pump blood to other parts of our body – primarily the legs, as well as the arms, head and stomach.

While some people don’t have symptoms of PAD, they may:

  • Experience leg pain that won’t go away
  • Have wounds on their feet or toes that take longer to heal
  • See changes in skin color
  • Develop sores or ulcers
  • Have trouble walking

Risk factors (older age, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, smoking, chronic diseases such as diabetes) of PAD and other vascular diseases mirror those of other heart-related disorders.

Conservative treatments such as increasing physical activity, improving your diet, working to quit smoking and medication management are often recommended. If those efforts are unsuccessful, minimally invasive procedures such as stenting or angioplasty may be recommended.