In winter, we often hear the elderly say: “It’s cold, the old cold leg again”, “boil it, when the weather warms up, it will be better”. In fact, this is extremely wrong idea, “old cold leg” is actually lower limb arterial occlusive disease, commonly known as the lower limb artery blockage, blood can not flow, a little lighter may lead to walking inconvenience, heavy may lead to limb necrosis, and even amputation may be. What is lower extremity arterial occlusive disease? Lower extremity arterial occlusive disease mainly includes lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease (commonly known as “vasculitis”) and diabetic lower extremity vasculopathy (commonly known as “diabetic foot”). Due to narrowing or occlusion of the arteries in the lower extremities, tissue ischemia results in intermittent claudication, resting pain, and gangrenous infection of the limbs. If left untreated, it can lead to amputation and even life-threatening. Because people do not have a deep understanding of the dangers of “leg and foot failure”, some patients often go to the hospital long after they have “rotten feet”. At this time, the wound is already very small inflammation and pus, and even blackened tissue necrosis. Once the tissue is necrotic, it often requires amputation, which is not only very difficult to treat, but also greatly increases medical expenses, becoming a huge burden for patients and families. What are the clinical manifestations of lower limb atherosclerosis? Mild chief complaint period: small impact on motor function, reduced skin temperature of the affected limb, fear of cold, or mild numbness, and easy fatigue after activity. Intermittent claudication period: It is when the patient walks a certain distance, due to ischemia and hypoxia, the muscles of the lower leg produce fatigue and weakness, spasm and pain, and must stop walking and rest, and when the symptoms are relieved, the patient walks the same distance again and then the symptoms recur. Intermittent claudication is the most common symptom of ischemic lesions in the lower limbs. Resting pain phase: When the lower limb ischemia is further aggravated, the patient will be unable to lie down due to limb pain even without exercise. It is often necessary to sit up and lower the lower limb to increase the blood supply to the ischemic limb, thus it can seriously affect the patient’s sleep. Necrotic ulcer stage: Early gangrene and ulcers tend to occur in the toes. As the lesion progresses, infection and gangrene can gradually progress upward to the foot, ankle or lower leg, and in severe cases, systemic symptoms of toxicity can occur. At this time, the affected limb has reached severe ischemia, if the blood vessel is not opened in time, it will directly face amputation and life threatening. What are the risk factors of lower extremity atherosclerosis occlusive disease? Hypertension: Long-term hypertension can cause damage to the inner wall of blood vessels and accelerate the lipid infiltration and deposition in the inner wall of arteries. High blood lipid: High blood lipid can easily lead to atherosclerosis and plaque formation. Diabetes: Diabetes can accelerate the process of atherosclerosis occlusion and make the condition more complicated. Smoking: aggravates atherosclerosis and is one of the main risk factors for atherosclerosis. Age: The vast majority of atherosclerotic occlusive disease develops after the age of 50. Irrational diet structure: The diet contains more saturated fatty acids and too many sugars, thus causing high cholesterol, high blood lipids and high blood sugar, which are high-risk factors for atherosclerosis. Men: The incidence is higher in men than in women, and the onset is earlier. How is lower extremity arterial occlusive disease treated? Common treatments for lower extremity arterial occlusive disease: lifestyle changes, smoking cessation, light diet; medication for atherosclerosis risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia. Surgical treatment: including balloon dilation, stent placement, subendoplasty, endothelial stripping, artificial vascular bypass diversion, and venous arterialization. Among them, balloon dilation and stenting can be done by puncturing a needle of about 3mm in diameter in the patient’s blood vessel, which is characterized by small trauma, no incision, good effect, fast recovery and low cost. After admission, patients need to undergo lower extremity arteriography or lower extremity artery enhancement CTA. Based on the results of the arteriography or CTA, the treatment plan will be decided according to the most advanced international guidelines for the treatment of lower extremity arterial occlusive disease, the Pan-Atlantic Physicians’ Convention TASC-II, and one or more of the above-mentioned surgical procedures will be combined to increase the blood supply to the lower extremities, preserve the limbs and improve the quality of life.