Arterial occlusion

Blood flow through an artery is partially occluded by the deposition of an atherosclerotic plaque.

Arterial occlusion is a condition involving partial or complete blockage of blood flow through an artery. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood to body tissues.[1][2] An occlusion of arteries disrupts oxygen and blood supply to tissues, leading to ischemia.[1] Depending on the extent of ischemia, symptoms of arterial occlusion range from simple soreness and pain that can be relieved with rest,[3] to a lack of sensation or paralysis that could require amputation.[3]

Arterial occlusion can be classified into three types based on etiology: embolism, thrombosis, and atherosclerosis. These three types of occlusion underlie various common conditions, including coronary artery disease,[4] peripheral artery disease,[5] and pulmonary embolism,[6] which may be prevented by lowering risk factors. Without proper prevention or management, these diseases can progress into life-threatening complications of myocardial infarction,[7] gangrene,[8] ischemic stroke,[9] and in severe cases, terminate in brain death or cardiac arrest.[10][11]

Arterial occlusion is diagnosed by exercise testing,[3] ultrasonic duplex testing,[3] and multi-detector coronary tomography angiography.[12] Meanwhile, treatment can vary from surgical interventions such as bypass,[13] endarterectomy,[14] and embolectomy,[15] to blood-thinning medication.[16]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Saladin KS, Sullivan SJ, Gan CA (2017). Human anatomy (Fifth ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 978-0-07-340370-0. OCLC 927438903.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Coronary heart disease". nhs.uk. 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  5. ^ Zemaitis MR, Boll JM, Dreyer MA (2022). "Peripheral Arterial Disease". StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. PMID 28613496. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
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  10. ^ DeSai C, Shapshak HA (2022). "Cerebral Ischemia". StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. PMID 32809345. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
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