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Rene Carpentier used to be able to walk for miles, but recently leg pain had severely limited his ability to walk and enjoy life.

He was the victim of a little known but very common disease that was blocking blood flow to his legs.

"I had so much pain in my calves that I couldn't walk very far. They would just lock up on me," Carpentier said. "I wanted to walk and I know I needed to walk but could not."

Dr. Steve Oweida, a vascular surgeon with Vascular Surgical Associates, diagnosed the condition known as PAD, or peripheral arterial disease, and removed the blockages with a new outpatient procedure that is revolutionizing the treatment of individuals with this disease.

It is estimated that 10 million Americans have PAD, a condition that slowly and relentlessly narrows the arteries, blocking blood flow to muscles. Complete blockages lead to ulcers, gangrene and eventually infection and amputation. Diabetics are particularly vulnerable to this initially silent condition, but others are at high risk as well. Genetics also plays a role in this disease and the condition is more common as one advances in age.

"The patient holds the key to all risk factors except genetic risk factors," said Dr. Oweida, who is quick to emphasize that the patient can do a lot to reduce the risk of contracting this problem. Of the modifiable risk factors, "smoking is by far the number one causative factor of PAD," he emphasizes. Other modifiable risk factors include hypertension, high cholesterol and a sedentary life style.

Operating out of the WellStar Vascular Institute, Dr. Oweida removed Carpentier's blockage with a new minimally invasive procedure that literally grinds away the plaque with a diamond-tipped burr. Through a small incision "no larger than the width of a pen," a catheter was placed in the blocked artery and the blockage was burred away. Prior to this minimally invasive advance, the blockage would have been bypassed with a large open procedure that would have required days in the hospital.

Carpentier now says the he is "free to do whatever," and that the pain relief is "amazing." He feels that the procedure has changed his life.

"I can now go to the gym and get on the treadmill," he says.

Other promising and advanced treatments use specially coated stints that are inserted into the vessels through small incisions. According to Dr. Oweida, these stints act to hold the vessel open and permit blood flow to get to the muscles, and the newest stints with special coatings have shown exceptional promise in trials.

Nationally, the American Heart Association is making a big push to educate the public about this initially silent disease. Like most medical conditions, earlier diagnosis is the key to more effective treatment. A simple hands-on exam can point the clinician in the right direction and, once diagnosed, most conditions are treated nonoperatively with simple changes in diet and lifestyle. If nonoperative treatment is ineffective, then the current surgical methods according to Dr. Oweida are "amazing and phenomenal."

The take-home message from Dr. Oweida, and this doctor, is that we must educate the public. This is our responsibility as part of the medical profession. Your responsibility, once educated, is to see your doctor and let them take a look.

Stan Dysart MD is a practicing hip and knee surgeon with an interest in health and consumer education. He can be contacted at sdysartmd@aol.com.

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