Interventions for lower extremity peripheral artery disease
www.nature.com
Aug. 5, 2026, 3:13 p.m.
Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with considerable morbidity, diminished quality of life, and mortality; reducing the risk of cardiovascular events is the primary goal of medical treatment.
Intermittent claudication is the most common symptom of PAD; treatment aims to improve ambulatory function through smoking cessation, medical therapy, exercise, and (selective) revascularization.
Chronic limb-threatening ischaemia is associated with increased amputation risk and mortality; treatment is based on effective revascularization, which aims to relieve pain, heal wounds, and preserve limb function.
Advances in endovascular technologies and open surgical approaches have created a growing range of revascularization options for PAD, although their outcomes are highly dependent on the anatomical pattern of disease.
Active areas of investigation in PAD include cell-based and gene-based therapies, tissue-engineered vascular conduits, and drug-eluting, biomimetic, and bioresorbable scaffolds.