Introduction

CH A P TER INTRODUCTION

Arterial disorders represent the most common cause of morbidity and early death in western societies. Much of this is as a result of atheromatous plaque build-up causing steno ses (atherosclerosis) within the arteries that supply the heart muscle (coronary thrombosis and myocardial infarction) and brain (stroke) and the peripheral arterial system. This chapter addr esses diseases that are typically the domain of the vascular surgeon, namely those a ff ecting the peripheral arterial system: vascular disease that alters the normal structure and function of the aorta, its visceral branches and the arteries of the lower extremity .