Diagnosis of atherosclerosis

In the early stages of the atherosclerotic process, the pathology of peripheral arteries is extremely rarely diagnosed and such patients are treated for a long time by neurologists, therapists, etc. In most cases, patients turn to an angiosurgeon in the presence of obvious symptoms of chronic obliterating lesions of the vessels of the lower extremities, namely:

• muscle pain in the legs when walking;
• pain in the muscles of the legs and feet at rest;
• discoloration of the feet;
• the appearance of trophic ulcers or necrosis on the toes.
   
  
  Diagnosis of peripheral atherosclerosis involves several stages:
  
  examination of a vascular surgeon: consultation, determination of pulsation of the main arteries, auscultation of the great vessels and functional tests;
  ultrasound (duplex / triplex) scanning of arteries and veins of the lower extremities with dopplerography and determination of special indices (hemodynamic parameters of the blood flow);
  laboratory diagnosis of atherosclerosis (detailed lipidogram, coagulogram and additional examination methods);
  multispiral computed tomography (MSCT) of arteries with contrasting (3D reconstruction of the vascular system);
  X-ray contrast angiography of peripheral arteries (introducing a special contrast into the affected segment of the artery for a more accurate diagnosis).
   
  
  After conducting a comprehensive diagnosis of atherosclerotic pathology, the vascular surgeon selects the optimal method of conservative, surgical or endovascular treatment. Timely appeal to a vascular surgeon will allow you to avoid large, traumatic operations (amputation of a limb) and extend the life of blood vessels for many years.