Frank's Story: Peripheral Artery Disease

NEWER ILIAC ARTERY STENTS PROVE TO BE SAFE, EFFECTIVE & LIFE PROLONGING

Clogged leg arteries, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects up to 20% of Americans 65 or older.

William Julien, M.D., medical director of South Florida Vascular Associates says, “As the population ages that number is expected to climb even higher.” Aging, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity are the key risk factors.

PAD often occurs in the iliac arteries, the main arteries which carry blood from the abdominal aorta to the legs and feet. Often, the first sign of iliac artery disease is leg cramps or pain when walking. In its most severe form, PAD can cause painful sores on a patient’s toes and feet. If left untreated, the blood circulation to the lower extremities will diminish causing ulcers that can become dry, gray or black, and eventually gangrenous, which can lead to amputation of a limb.

67 year-old Frank Bartilotta was forced to retire from the grocery business, in part because of PAD. His quality of life was miserable and he was unable couldn’t do anything that required walking. He even had to sit in a chair to shower.

Unloading grocery trucks for years and smoking a pack of cigarettes a day took its toll. on Bartilotta. His walking capability was only a couple of minutes at the most.

His PAD was so severe, treatment required angioplasty and iliac stenting in both legs.


 “Treating PAD with stents is not new. We’ve been doing it more than 20 years, says Dr. Julien, but the technique and the stents are more durable and better constructed these days.”
Mounting research confirms iliac stenting is safe, highly effective and life  extending.

Nearly 100-percent of all patients with PAD can be successfully treated. The procedure, which takes roughly up to 90 minutes and is performed with local anesthesia, is fairly simple and similar to placing stents in clogged arteries in other parts of the body. Most patients are usually up on their feet roughly two to six hours after the procedure and can immediately go back to normal activities.

In Bartilotta’s case, the iliac stents originally put in place by another doctor were too small. Bartilotta was referred to Dr. Julien who fixed the problem by doing balloon angioplasty to open up the stents wider, replacing normal blood flow to his legs. And it worked!

Bartilotta  never thought he would be back to normal, but now he is able to do whatever he wants. He can walk a good 10-to-15 minutes at a time and it’s getting better all the time. Life is pretty close to back to normal. he even went on a cruise on the biggest ship in the world and was able to walk the entire length of the ship.Barlotta now swims again, goes to the gym, takes long walks and is able to resume his fulfilling active life as he once knew it.

If you have been diagnosed or suspect that PAD is your problem, take our survey to see if you are at risk and make an appointment at our Broward or Palm Beach office with one of our physicians to discuss the best treatment option for you.

Are You At Risk For Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) ?

 According to the Society of Interventional Radiologists, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects an estimated 8 to 10 million people in the United States. Individuals with PAD are at greater risk for heart attack, stroke and loss of limbs, yet awareness among the general public and primary care physicians regarding diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this disease is extremely low. 

The most common symptom of PAD is painful cramping in the hips, thighs, or calves when walking, climbing stairs or exercising.

Get Tested for PAD If You
•    Are over age 50
•    Have a family history of vascular disease, such as PAD, aneurysm, heart attack or stroke
•    Have high cholesterol and/or high lipid blood test
•    Have diabetes
•    Have ever smoked or smoke now
•    Have an inactive lifestyle
•    Have a personal history of high blood pressure, heart disease, or other vascular disease
•    Have trouble walking that involves cramping or tiredness in the muscle with walking or exercising, which is relieved by resting
•    Have pain in the legs or feet that awaken you at night

We invite you to answer a few yes or no questions on our questionnaire to get a baseline indication whether you are at potential risk for peripheral artery disease.  Fill out your contact information and if your score indicates that you may be at risk please contact our office for a consultation with one of our board certified interventional radiologists.

Minimally Invasive Procedure Saves Limbs and Lives for Those Suffering From Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral Artery Disease(PAD) is the hardening or narrowing of the arteries in the leg caused by fatty deposits or calcium which accumulate in the blood vessels of the buttocks, legs, and feet blocking normal blood flow.


Early signs of PAD can include pain to the hips, legs, and feet during normal activities such as walking. When PAD advances, it can lead to Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) which includes leg pain at rest, wounds that are slow to heal, and gangrene. This puts a patient at risk for amputation. Depending on the severity of PAD, it can be treated through lifestyle changes, medication, or minimally invasive procedures such as an atherectomy.


An atherectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that utilizes a catheter with a sharp blade on the end to remove plaque from a blood vessel. The catheter is inserted into the artery through a small puncture in the artery and is navigated under x-ray guidance. It is designed to pulverize the plaque and sands it into tiny particles that are washed away with the patient’s blood flow. By restoring blood flow in the legs, a significant outcome can be achieved for most patients. Interventional radiologists have been using minimally invasive atherectomy procedures for the treatment of PAD for several years, however the technology continues to improve allowing doctors to treat many more people. Atherectomy has been a breakthrough in the treatment of PAD and has proven to improve a patient’s quality of life by alleviating pain, enhancing mobility, re-establishing blood flow to non-healing wounds and reducing the number of amputations.


If you have been diagnosed with PAD there are many treatments that can help you regain your quality of life. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment for a consultation with Dr. William Julien or Dr. Warren Swee.

Could Leg Pain Be a Sign Of Something Serious?

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) often goes undetected. But being aware of the warning signs can help you spot PAD early on and get prompt treatment to protect your health.

Peripheral Artery Disease is caused by a thickening of the inside walls of the arteries of your legs. This thickening, called atherosclerosis, usually occurs when a person has high levels of cholesterol, a fat-like substance in the blood. Cholesterol and fat, circulating in the blood, build up on the walls of the arteries and plaque formations can grow large enough to significantly reduce the blood's flow through an artery narrowing the space where the blood can flow and decreases the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the legs and feet. It can affect both legs, but most often symptoms begin in one leg.

Dr. William Julien explains more about PAD in the video below.

It’s important to know the signs of PAD, such as leg pain or heaviness and it is most important to discuss these symptoms with your doctor right away so that you can get be evaluated and begin treatment immediately to reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.    
Warning Signs of PAD:   
  •    Pain that occurs when you walk and goes away when you stand still. It is important to understand that pain from PAD differs from other conditions because of how and when it occurs. Blockages in the leg can be so severe that blood is not getting to the muscles, and when muscles don't get enough blood, they get painful. This type of leg pain is called intermittent claudication and is one of the main symptoms of PAD. Leg pain can also be an indicator of back or spinal conditions. If your pain stops when you stand still after walking, chances are it’s related to PAD.
 •    Cold feet. A blockage or reduced blood flow to the lower leg muscles can make feet feel noticeably and abnormally cold. You may find that the leg with the blockage feels colder than your other leg.
 •    Discoloration in the legs or feet. Without blood flowing properly through the leg, your foot and toes may become discolored. A common PAD symptom is a foot that appears unusually pale or has a blue tint due to lack of blood flow.
 •    Persistent sores on the feet. If you have wounds on the bottom of your feet that take a long time to heal, this can also be could be a sign of PAD. When blood flow is blocked from reaching an area wounds won’t improve as quickly as they did prior to the blockage or don’t heal at all, making you more prone to foot infections. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms please take answer the questions in our survey to see if you are at risk and contact our office immediately to schedule a consultation with one of our physicians for proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

Margate Man Survives a Two and Half Long (DVT)Blood Clot

How is that even possible? Luck and the miracle of modern medicine!

59 year old Gerald Cunha felt pain in his leg and had a bit of swelling. He went to his internist and who put him on the blood thinner Coumadin, the standard treatment to dissolve what his doctor believed was a blood clot or deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

A couple of days later his leg blew up to three times its normal size.

The newest technology - EKOS Ultrasound which delivers clot busting drugs with an ultrasound-enhanced delivery system, could reduce the amount of drugs needed to break up dangerous blood clots in the legs and pelvis. Ultrasound catheters significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to dissolve blood clots and could help improve outcomes for victims of deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, according to new research. Blood clots are often treated through intravenous infusion of drugs, but the process of

dissolving the clot can take up to 48 hours. Longer infusion times increase the risk of life-threatening bleeding elsewhere in the body, particularly in the brain.

The EKOS Ultrasound was used to detect a massive blood clot in the patients leg which started behind his knee and went up to his belly button. A clot this size is extremely rare. The most effective way to treat it was to administer clot busting medication to dissolve the clot. Instead of taking medication, blood thinners, for several months hoping the clot will dissolve, the EKOS allows doctors to drip TPA (clot busting medicine) right into the vein, directly onto the clot dissolving it like an ice cube melting. This treatment was performed for 3 consecutive days in order to dissolve a clot so large.

The patient's vascular specialist says, had this not been done in time he would have been permanently disabled or could have died from a pulmonary embolism. In fact, the patient was so nervous prior to the clot busting meds, he put his affairs in order for fear that a piece of the clot could travel to his lungs and be fatal.

Varicocele Embolization Repair for Infertility

Varicocele Embolization Repair for Infertility
Minimally invasive, No general anesthesia, No pain, No down time

Varicoceles are fairly common, affecting 15% of men overall and 40% of men with known infertility issues. Poor circulation caused by the varicoceles results in a higher blood temperature that raises the temperature of the testes, which can serve as a barrier to sperm production and can damage or destroy sperm that is created.

Varicoceles are a tangled network of blood vessels or swelling of the veins on the testicles. It is similar to varicose veins in the legs but in this condition, a vein called the gonadal vein has weak defective valves resulting in the blood pooling in varicose veins in the scrotum. Sometimes, varicoceles cause no symptoms and are harmless. But sometimes a varicocele causes pain, testicular atrophy (shrinkage), or fertility problems.

 

Varicoceles can be repaired and are commonly treated by a urologist through a procedure called varicoceleligation surgery. During this procedure an incision is made is made is the skin above the scrotum, cutting down to the testicular veins and tying them off with sutures. It is usually performed under general anesthesia in a hospital setting. Although patients leave the hospital the same day, there is a two to three week recovery period.

Alternatively, at South Florida Vascular Associates, a nonsurgical minimally invasive procedure called varicocele embolization, can be done without general anesthesia by one of our  interventional radiologists to repair a varicocele.  During this procedure a small tube is inserted into the femoral vein in the groin or a vein in the neck through a small nick in the skin. The skin is numbed for this procedure and it is not painful.  Next a small catheter or tube is painlessly guided into the abdomen and into the varicocele vein under the guidance of x-ray imaging. The vein is then intentionally closed off by plugging it with small metal coils and a special medication. This procedure takes 30 minutes and the patient goes home a few hours later with only a band aid at the puncture site. The patient can immediately resume their non external activities.

Advantages of Varicocele Ebolization
•    Performed under local anesthesia with mild sedation
•    Performed on an outpatient basis in our endovascular suite, not in the hospital
•    No surgical incision in the groin, only a tiny hole where a catheter is placed
•    If you have varicoceles on both sides, you can have them fixed at the same time through one vein   puncture site(surgery requires 2 separate open incision)
•    It is as effective as surgery,as measured by improvement in pain, semen analysis and pregnancy rates
•    Lower rate of complications compared to surgery, Infection has not been reported after embolization

If you have been diagnosed with varicoceles, call our office to learn more about varicoceles embolization and after your procedure leave our office with only a band aid at the puncture site. To make an appointment for a consultation click here.

Do You Know That Tangerines May Protect the Body From Coronary Artery Disease?

An article on Everyday Health.com reports that tangerines are metabolic masters

A flavonoid (a type of antioxidant) in this citrus fruit may protect the body against the triad of diseases known as metabolic syndrome — coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes — according to research from the University of Western Ontario published in the journal Diabetes. When researchers fed mice a typical “western” diet (high in fat and refined sugar) that was supplemented with the tangerine antioxidant nobiletin, the mice experienced no increase in cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, or blood sugar, but mice who didn’t get the nobiletin did see a rise. Other long-term animal studies have found that the compound prevents atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Tangerines may also help cancer-proof your body — if you eat the peel. A compound in the peel called salvestrol Q40 halts the activity of an enzyme that incites the growth of cancer cells, a British study found. Try some tangerine zest in your tea or sprinkled on a salad for a citrusy twist.

We look forward to hearing your comments.