Aneurysm of the leg artery | Leg artery

Aneurysm of the leg artery

An aneurysm is a pathological vasodilatation of an artery that leads to an excessive increase in the diameter of the vessel. An aneurysm can be congenital or acquired. The most important risk factor for the development of an aneurysm is arteriosclerosis.

This in turn is mainly caused by overweight, high blood pressure, elevated blood lipid levels, smoking and diabetes mellitus. A bacterial infection can also cause an aneurysm. If an aneurysm is larger than 3 cm, blood clots (thrombi) can form.

This leads to a lack of blood circulation in subsequent tissue sections, which can cause tingling, numbness and a feeling of cold. A thrombus can also be carried along by the bloodstream and block a narrowed area at another location (acute arterial occlusion). If there are no symptoms, an aneurysm is often only found by chance.

If there are complaints, imaging techniques such as computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used. It is important to treat the causes of the aneurysm. For example, lifestyle changes are essential in the treatment of high blood pressure, possibly supported by medication.

In other cases, surgery of the aneurysm is recommended. Here, a distinction is made between the insertion of a vascular support, a so-called stent, and the formation of a bypass circuit, a so-called bypass. As a complication of a cardiac catheter examination, an aneurysm of the leg artery can occur. The reason for this is that for a cardiac catheter examination the leg artery is used as an entry port to the vascular system and is “punctured” for this purpose. The resulting injury to the vessel wall can cause it to collapse after the examination and form an aneurysm.

Heart catheter

For the examination of the heart by means of a catheter (left heart catheterisation), the main access is the leg artery. The catheter, a thin plastic tube, is advanced from the leg artery into the left heart. A contrast medium is then injected to show the vessels on an X-ray.

In this way, constrictions and occlusions, particularly of the coronary vessels, can be detected during a cardiac catheter examination. Once the condition of the vessels has been assessed, a decision can be made on further therapeutic measures. In some cases, a change in lifestyle, such as a change in diet or exercise, as well as drug treatment are sufficient.

In other cases it may be necessary to dilate the vessels by means of a small balloon and stabilise the vessels with a stent. These interventions can be performed directly as part of the cardiac catheterization procedure. If the occlusions or constrictions of the vessels supplying the heart (coronary arteries) cannot be removed with these methods, it may be necessary to create a bypass around the diseased vessels by means of an operation.