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Suggest Remedies For Pain In Calf Muscles After Angioplasty

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Posted on Mon, 18 Jul 2016
Question: I had an angioplasty & rota intervention with stent placement to unblock my right coronary artery on 10 May this year. I had been suffering from severe angina for 3 months preciously. The result was very satisfactory (as I was shown on the screen) and the angina disappeared immediately. However, since then I have had a problem with severe aching in the calf muscles of my right leg so that I can only walk about 40 paces on the flat before having to slow right down or stop. Walking upstairs or uphill reduces this to about 10 paces and makes me quite breathless. The pain disappears almost immediately on stopping still. I am taking Tricagrelor, Ramipril and aspirin daily and also Atorvastatin.
Does this all sound normal to you?
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Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (34 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome on HCM!

Regarding your concern, I would like to explain that your calf muscle aching needs to explored in two main directions:

- Your current symptomatology raises suspicion on a concomitant peripheral artery disease, which is manifested with underlying pain of the muscles supplied by the affected artery (the so called claudicatio intermittens).

- Another possible cause to consider would be a local complication of the procedure, performed through the femoral artery. Sometimes due to some happening inaccuracies, certain complications like: pseudo-aneurysm,hematoma or femoral artery dissection, etc. may lead to impaired blood flow supply of the respective limb.

All the above mentioned options need further clinical investigation by a careful physical exam and imaging studies such as:

- Doppler ultrasound of the limb blood vessels
- angio CT scan or angio MRI of the vessels.

Though your current therapy seems to be adequate, as these complaints keep persisting and worsening, I recommend asking medical assistance to the nearest ER service in France, or if you are actually returning home with your attending doctor.

Hope to have been helpful!

Kind regards,

Dr. Iliri

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Ilir Sharka

Cardiologist

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 9547 Questions

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Suggest Remedies For Pain In Calf Muscles After Angioplasty

Brief Answer: I would explain as follows: Detailed Answer: Hello! Welcome on HCM! Regarding your concern, I would like to explain that your calf muscle aching needs to explored in two main directions: - Your current symptomatology raises suspicion on a concomitant peripheral artery disease, which is manifested with underlying pain of the muscles supplied by the affected artery (the so called claudicatio intermittens). - Another possible cause to consider would be a local complication of the procedure, performed through the femoral artery. Sometimes due to some happening inaccuracies, certain complications like: pseudo-aneurysm,hematoma or femoral artery dissection, etc. may lead to impaired blood flow supply of the respective limb. All the above mentioned options need further clinical investigation by a careful physical exam and imaging studies such as: - Doppler ultrasound of the limb blood vessels - angio CT scan or angio MRI of the vessels. Though your current therapy seems to be adequate, as these complaints keep persisting and worsening, I recommend asking medical assistance to the nearest ER service in France, or if you are actually returning home with your attending doctor. Hope to have been helpful! Kind regards, Dr. Iliri