Arteriosclerosis Tests & Treatments at University of Colorado Hospital

Tests for Arteriosclerosis

If your doctor suspects that you have atherosclerosis, he or she may:

  • Listen to your chest for a whooshing or gurgling sound that is a sign of abnormal blood flow
  • Listen for areas of weak pulse in the leg, arm or other areas, which is a sign that not enough blood is reaching the area
  • Take blood samples to test your blood lipid (fat) levels and blood glucose (sugar) levels
  • Take your blood pressure

Depending on the results of this initial evaluation, you may also need one or more of the following tests:

Cardiac Catheterization

Helps your doctor determine the pressure on the heart and the blood vessels feeding it. The catheterization requires a small tube to be inserted through the artery in the groin and passed through to the heart. An injection of dye allows your doctor to see the pattern of blood flow to and through your heart and determine if there are blockages.

Exercise Stress Test

This test evaluates how well your heart is functioning. During the stress test, you will walk on a treadmill while a machine monitors your:

  • Heart rhythm
  • Blood pressure
  • Other vital signs

Nuclear Stress Test

An exercise stress test that includes an injection of a small amount of a radioactive material into your vein. This material helps illuminate areas that are blocked and may not be receiving a sufficient blood supply. It reaches your heart as you are exercising. Following the exercise test, you will have an X-ray of your heart.

Drug Tests

If you cannot perform an exercise stress test, your doctor may use drugs that dilate (widen) your blood vessels. After the drugs are injected into your veins, you will receive an injection of radioactive material to help show areas of blockage in the arteries.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram (ECHO), also known as a cardiac ultrasound, uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart.

Arteriosclerosis Treatments

If you have arteriosclerosis, you may be able to manage it with medications prescribed by your doctor.

  • Anti-coagulants to break up blood clots
  • ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors reduce pressure on the blood vessels by dilating (widening) them
  • Blood pressure medicine
  • Medicines to keep blood platelets from forming on a damaged artery
  • Cholesterol-lowering medicines to help reduce the formation of plaque
  • Hypoglycemic medicines to decrease the amount of sugar in your blood

If the medications do not slow down the disease, you may need one or more of the following procedures.

Angioplasty and Stenting

Your doctor may be able to clear your carotid artery with a minimally invasive procedure, using angioplasty and a process called stenting. A very thin, flexible tube called a catheter that carries a small balloon is threaded to your artery. The balloon opens and closes, flattening the plaque against the artery walls. Your doctor then inserts a wire mesh tube called a stent into the artery. The stent keeps the artery open and allows the blood to flow freely.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) may be performed if the arteries bringing blood to your heart (the coronaries) become so thick and hard with fatty deposits called plaque that blood flow is blocked. The blockage creates a risk of heart attack and death. CABG surgery involves grafting a healthy blood vessel to the heart to reroute the blood around the blockage.

Leg Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Arteriosclerosis can restrict or cut off the blood supply to the legs, This causes severe pain when you walk. It also causes gangrene (death of tissue) if the supply is cut off completely. To treat this, your surgeon may use a graft to reroute blood around the blockage.

Endarterectomy

If the blockage in your artery is severe, you may be referred for surgery to clean out the plaque that is causing the problem. The surgeon:

  • Makes an incision
  • Locates the blockage
  • Places a tube called a shunt to redirect the blood flow
  • Removes the plaque with a special tool that shaves off the plaque

Once the artery is clean, the surgeon removes the shunt and closes the incision.