Dr. Eitan Heldenberg

Some mistakenly use the term "Peripheral Vascular Disease" (PVD) to describe peripheral vascular conditions. The use of PVD is misleading because it does not clarify which vessels are affected — whether the arteries (Arterial Disease), the veins (Venous Disease), or the lymphatic system (Lymphatic Disease). It is therefore recommended to use the term Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease (PAOD) to accurately describe the nature of the pathology being addressed.

The aorta is the central artery of the human body. It originates from the left ventricle of the heart and supplies blood, through its many branches, to all organs of the body. The aorta has two main segments — the thoracic and the abdominal. An aneurysm of the abdominal aorta, commonly known as an abdominal aneurysm (though this term is imprecise as it does not indicate which artery is affected), is a "silent killer" — by conservative estimate, approximately 500 people in Israel die each year from its rupture.

The term "diabetic foot" describes foot problems in patients with diabetes. Nerve damage caused by diabetes leads to loss of sensation in the foot, making patients unaware of skin injuries that can develop into ulcers, which tend to become infected in the absence of adequate blood flow. Such complications occur in approximately 4–10% of all diabetic patients with foot ulcers. Early identification of risk factors is therefore of paramount importance — both to reduce the likelihood of developing these ulcers and, when they do develop, to treat them as early as possible.

The human body contains a branching network of vessels stretching for many kilometers, all serving one purpose: transporting blood. Blood flows in two directions—from the heart to the tissues and from the tissues back to the heart. There are three main vascular systems: the arterial, venous, and lymphatic systems. These networks carry blood through diverse pathways. The arterial system carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the organs. The venous system carries deoxygenated, carbon dioxide-rich blood from the organs back to the heart. The arterial and venous systems are connected via capillaries, which serve as the interface between them. The lymphatic system carries fluid from the intercellular space, primarily in peripheral regions, toward the body's center, where it drains into the venous system. Dysfunction can arise in any of these systems and, when neglected, may lead to worsening clinical manifestations and, in extreme cases, limb- or life-threatening conditions.