Research Reviews

Current clinical research studies may one day help in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of vascular diseases. Studies listed in this section must answer an important scientific question about vascular disease and must be approved by an Institutional Review Board. (By listing these studies, the Vascular Disease Foundation is not endorsing the studies, the study center, the study sponsor, or the treatment.)

1. In a study entitled "Evaluation of Large Vessel and Microvascular Disease with Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound of Leg Skeletal Muscle," the University of Virginia School of Medicine will study whether an ultrasound of the calf can be used to detect impaired blood flow due to PAD. Ultrasound results will be compared to other noninvasive tests such as ABI and pulse volume recordings, as well as angiograms.
   Contact: Lisa Womack at 434-982-4008 or email: lms5a@virginia.edu
   
   
2. The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University is investigating the "NO PAIN Study: A Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of L-Arginine in the Treatment of PAD." The NO PAIN study will determine if administration of L-arginine can improve blood flow in people with PAD and thereby improve walking distance and quality of life. L-arginine is a semi-essential amino acid found in our diet. The body converts L-arginine into nitric oxide (NO), which is a powerful vasodilator, i.e., it increases blood flow. To date, the study has found that people with vascular disease, or with risk factors for vascular disease, produce less NO. Study investigators have also found that they can increase NO synthesis in these individuals by administering L-arginine. Now they are trying to determine if, by improving vessel relaxation, they can improve blood flow in the legs and improve walking distance in people with PAD.
   Contact: Kathi Kari or Gina Droll (para Español) at 650-723-4064.

For more information on these and other clinical studies, visit the new Clinical Trials Resource Center on the Foundation's web site at www.vdf.org.

The Vascular Disease Foundation and any sponsors disclaim, either explicitly or implicitly, that the drug, biologic or device listed here is safe or effective for the purposes under investigation, or that the test article is known to be equivalent or superior to any other drug, biologic or device. Additionally, no claims are made regarding the scientific utility and conduct of clinical trials or research studies listed.