Angioplasty for Peripheral Artery Disease
Lower-limb angioplasty restores blood flow to a leg blocked by peripheral artery disease — through a pinhole puncture rather than open bypass surgery. Dr. Pritee Sharma performs the full spectrum of peripheral angioplasty (above-knee, below-knee and pedal) at Renova Century Hospital, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad — a critical service for limb salvage in diabetics.
In peripheral artery disease, cholesterol plaque narrows or blocks the arteries that supply the legs. Patients experience claudication (cramping leg pain on walking), rest pain at night, non-healing ulcers or gangrene. Without prompt revascularisation, the leg may need amputation.
Modern angioplasty uses long, low-profile balloons and dedicated peripheral stents to reopen blocked arteries from inside, often through a single 2 mm puncture in the groin or arm. Drug-eluting balloons (DEB) deliver an antiproliferative drug to the vessel wall, keeping the artery open far longer than plain balloon angioplasty.
For long, calcified or below-knee blockages — typical of diabetic PAD — Dr. Sharma uses atherectomy devices that gently shave or vaporise plaque before balloon dilation, dramatically improving outcomes.
Take the next step toward healthier vessels
Book a consultation with Dr. Pritee Sharma at Renova Century Hospital, Banjara Hills.
Symptoms to watch for
- Cramping pain in the calf, thigh or buttock while walking (claudication)
- Reduced walking distance — having to stop after a fixed distance
- Pain in the foot at rest, especially at night, relieved by hanging the leg down
- Cold, pale, or bluish toes
- Non-healing wound or black toe (critical limb ischemia)
- Sudden cold, pale, painful limb (acute limb ischemia — emergency)
Common causes & risk factors
- Atherosclerosis from diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia
- Smoking — the single most aggressive accelerator
- Chronic kidney disease
- Family history of cardiovascular disease
- Age above 50
- Sedentary lifestyle and obesity
How Dr. Pritee Sharma treats this condition
Diagnostic Angiography
Pinhole groin or arm puncture and digital subtraction angiography map every artery from aorta to foot.
Plain Balloon Angioplasty (POBA)
Inflation of a tiny balloon to crack the plaque and restore lumen. Excellent for short, soft lesions.
Drug-Eluting Balloon (DEB)
Paclitaxel-coated balloon delivers anti-restenosis drug to the vessel wall — much lower re-blockage than plain balloons.
Self-Expanding & Drug-Eluting Stents
Used for elastic recoil, dissections or long thigh (SFA) lesions to maintain durable patency.
Atherectomy
Specialised catheters shave or vaporise heavy calcified plaque before balloon dilation — crucial in diabetic below-knee disease.
Pedal-Loop & Below-Knee Angioplasty
Reopening of tibial and pedal arteries to feed a non-healing diabetic foot wound — often limb-saving.
Bypass Surgery as Backup
For very long, complex blockages, a femoro-popliteal or femoro-distal vein bypass remains the most durable option — Dr. Sharma offers both.
Why early care matters
- Prevents amputation and preserves walking
- Day-care or single-night hospital stay
- Safe for elderly diabetic patients with cardiac comorbidities
- Reduces all-cause mortality by improving exercise capacity
- Avoids large surgical scars and prolonged ICU stay
Why choose Dr. Pritee Sharma
- Operator skilled in pedal-loop and below-knee techniques
- Full inventory — drug-eluting balloons, atherectomy, BTK stents
- Integrated diabetic foot and wound care team
- Open bypass available as backup when needed
- 24×7 vascular emergency cover
Frequently asked questions
For shorter blockages, angioplasty is preferred — day-care, repeatable, no surgical scar. For very long, complex disease, a vein bypass may be more durable. Dr. Sharma offers both and selects based on anatomy and patient fitness.
Modern drug-eluting balloons and stents have 1-year patency of 75–90% in selected lesions. Strict risk-factor control, walking exercise and antiplatelet therapy are essential.
In most cases, yes. Once arterial flow is restored, advanced wound care and offloading can heal even long-standing diabetic ulcers.
Most patients walk within 4–6 hours and go home the same day or next morning. Normal activity resumes within 48 hours.
What to expect during recovery
- Most patients walk within 4–6 hours of the procedure
- Discharge same day or next morning
- Antiplatelet (aspirin + clopidogrel) for at least 3 months
- Strict diabetes, BP and cholesterol control lifelong
- Supervised walking 30 minutes per day for at least 12 weeks
- Duplex surveillance at 1, 6 and 12 months, then yearly
Why this matters in Hyderabad
- Diabetes prevalence above 14% in urban Telangana makes PAD and diabetic foot one of the highest-volume vascular workloads in Hyderabad.
- Late presentation is common — many patients see Dr. Sharma only when the toe is already black. Earlier referral pathways are being built across Hyderabad's diabetes clinics.
- Renova Century Hospital's cath lab is configured for full peripheral inventory — long balloons, DEBs, atherectomy and dedicated below-knee stents.
Dr. Pritee Sharma — Vascular & Endovascular Surgeon
21+ years of dedicated vascular and endovascular surgical experience.
- MBBS — Topiwala National Medical College, Mumbai
- MS (General Surgery)
- DNB Peripheral Vascular Surgery — Gold Medalist (awarded by the Hon'ble Ex Vice President of India)
- Fellowship in Endovascular Surgery
- Head of Department, Vascular & Endovascular Surgery — Renova Century Hospital, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
- Former Consultant — Army Hospital Research & Referral, Delhi
- Member — Vascular Society of India (VSI)
- Member — Indian Association of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgeons
Concerned about angioplasty for peripheral artery disease?
Get a personalised assessment and treatment plan from Dr. Pritee Sharma.