Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is the narrowing of blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart to the arms, hands, legs, and feet. Often associated with poor outcomes such as amputation, cardiac arrest, and mortality, PAD remains a significant disorder globally with limited understanding of risk factors for its development and severity. Recent studies have identified microvasculature health as important to the pathogenesis and outcomes of PAD.
A new review from Yale highlights some of these studies and discusses different modalities for imaging and identifying microvasculature disease in preclinical models and patients. The authors discuss the utility of perfusion imaging, such as ultrasound, MRI, and CT scans, as well as molecular imaging, such as angiogenesis, inflammation, and thrombosis.
This review provides a comprehensive overview of the most promising methods for assessing microvasculature disease and emphasizes the need for further research to improve these methods for better classification and management of peripheral artery disease.
To learn more, read the paper, “Multi-modality imaging for assessment of the microcirculation in peripheral artery disease: Bench to clinical practice.”
Callegari S, Feher A, Smolderen KG, Mena-Hurtado C, Sinusas AJ. Multi-modality imaging for assessment of the microcirculation in peripheral artery disease: Bench to clinical practice. Am Heart J Plus. 2024 May 8;42:100400. doi: 10.1016/j.ahjo.2024.100400. PMID: 38779485; PMCID: PMC11108852.