A 62-year-old woman with a history of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and a 35-pack-year smoking history presents to the vascular surgery clinic. She reports severe, cramping pain in her bilateral calves that predictably occurs after walking approximately 50 meters and is promptly relieved by 5 minutes of rest. Her physical examination reveals shiny, hairless skin over the distal lower extremities, delayed capillary refill, and non-palpable dorsalis pedis pulses bilaterally. The patient states these symptoms have progressively worsened over the past six months and now significantly impair her ability to work. The clinical team determines that she is a candidate for revascularization. Arrange the following diagnostic and imaging modalities in the standard, step-wise chronological sequence utilized to evaluate her condition, map the disease, and perform the intervention.
- 1Ankle-brachial index (ABI) using continuous-wave Doppler
- 2Arterial duplex ultrasonography of the lower extremities
- 3Computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the lower extremities
- 4Fluoroscopic digital subtraction angiography (DSA)