Understanding medical treatment in lower limb peripheral arterial disease

the management of patients with peripheral arterial disease has changed dramatically over the last ten years. surgery, once the preferred treatment method for intermittent claudication, is not longer the treatment of choice for patients with this presentation. medical management is now the first choice, and an improvement of claudication and quality of health can be achieved using a combination of statins, platelet aggregation inhibitors and the new inhibitor of cyclic amp (adenosin monophosfate), cilostazol. this review focuses on the new recommendations for clinical evaluation, diagnosis and medical treatment of patients with the disease.