Peripheral Vascular Intervention

A woman and her grandmother stroll happily through a park

By combining clinical expertise and relationship-based care, our specialists at Trinity Health Michigan perform a high volume of minimally invasive procedures to restore circulation to the legs and other vital organs.

What is Peripheral Vascular Intervention?

Peripheral vascular intervention is a minimally invasive outpatient (same day) procedure used to treat peripheral artery disease, which causes plaque buildup in the arteries leading to the intestines, head, arms and most commonly the legs. Plaque buildup is also called atherosclerosis.

The goal of peripheral vascular intervention is to restore the flow of blood to your lower extremities, eliminating pain, numbness or need for amputation. Our specialists typically employ two different methods – angioplasty and atherectomy.

Angioplasty & Stents

Angioplasty is a minimally invasive intervention method that uses a balloon-tipped catheter to dilate your artery. Once inserted, the balloon is inflated at the blockage site to compress the plaque against the wall of the artery, increasing the flow of blood. In order to prevent the artery from becoming blocked again long-term, a small tube called a stent is sometimes put in place.

Atherectomy

Atherectomy is a non-surgical intervention that removes plaque using a catheter with either a sharp blade or small drill on its tip. The plaque is either captured by the end the of catheter or is broken up and safely released into the bloodstream.