Endo-first Approach for Peripheral Vascular Disease: The First Fifty Cases of a New Clinic

The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the population over 50 years of age is 13% and the frequency of symptomatic PAD in the same population is reported to be 5% (1). When its effects on quality of life and pharmacoeconomic criteria are evaluated, the true importance of the disease becomes more evident. The expected 5-year mortality rate in male patients with PAD is similar to prostate and colon cancer (2). This data alone reveals the severity of the disease.