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Cardiovascular Diseases

Theses & Dissertations

Theses/Dissertations

Peripheral Artery Disease

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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Evaluation Of The Role Of Microvascular Pathology On Peripheral Artery Disease, Constance Mietus May 2019

Evaluation Of The Role Of Microvascular Pathology On Peripheral Artery Disease, Constance Mietus

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) begins with atherosclerotic narrowing of arteries, including those that supply the legs. Individuals with PAD experience pain during walking, which becomes increasingly limiting. Studies from our group and others have shown that a myopathy is present in the skeletal muscle of PAD patients, and is characterized by myofiber degeneration, fibrosis, and remodeling of vessels ranging from 50 – 150 mm in diameter. However, microvascular pathology, particularly of the smallest microvessels (5 – 15 mm in diameter) remains poorly characterized. Furthermore, little is known about the relationships between microvascular architecture, microperfusion, and patient walking performance. We …


The Development Of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta 1 Associated Fibrosis In The Gastrocnemius Of Peripheral Artery Disease Patients And Response To Revascularization And Supervised Exercise Therapies, Duy M. Ha Aug 2016

The Development Of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta 1 Associated Fibrosis In The Gastrocnemius Of Peripheral Artery Disease Patients And Response To Revascularization And Supervised Exercise Therapies, Duy M. Ha

Theses & Dissertations

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) affects over 200 million people worldwide with a 5-year mortality rate as high as 30%. Atherosclerotic blockages impair blood flow to the lower limbs, causing ischemic leg pain and dysfunction upon exercise that later progresses to ulcerations and gangrene and often requires amputation. The standard therapies, revascularization and exercise, allow patients to walk further and longer but are at best maintained short-term. One explanation may be the development of myopathic changes in the limb that progress despite improved hemodynamics—a paradigm shift in the classic view of PAD pathophysiology as solely a mismatch between blood supply and …