A large proportion of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) remain asymptomatic with respect to peripheral reduced perfusion. Most symptomatic patients present with walking distance limitation, intermittent claudication. In the advanced stage, critical limb ischemia, rest pain, gangrene, or ulceration occur.Treatment goals for patients with PAD differ depending on the stage of symptoms. In patients with intermittent claudication, the focus is on symptom relief with improvement in pain-free and maximal walking distance. In patients with critical limb ischemia, the focus is on leg preservation, improvement of quality of life, and amputation-free survival.Regardless of the stage of symptoms, cardiovascular risk factors should be optimally adjusted to reduce peripheral vascular, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular events.In addition to conservative therapy with intensive gait training, endovascular and open vascular surgical revascularization are significant in the treatment of PAD.
