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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 …