PAD has a prevalence of 15-20 % in an elderly (>50) western population. PAD can not be seen in isolation but represents the peripheral manifestation of a generalized artherosclerosis. The co-morbidity with coronary or cerebralartherosclerosis depends on the degree of severity of PAD, the relative risk of a death (predominantly cardiac) is increased by a factor 4. From af medical and a socio-economic point of view there is the need to control the PAD complication rate and related treatment costs as effectively as possible.