## 3 Results
### PIAT Volume and Severity of Peripheral Arterial Disease  
Data related to the clinical severity (expressed by Fontaine class and Rutherford stage) and disease complexity (as revealed by TASC classification), are presented in Table 2. In group 1, only 29.4% of the patients were in Fontaine class II, while 41.1% were in Fontaine class III and 29.4% in Fontaine class IV, while in group 2, 47.05% of patients were in Fontaine class II, 5.88% in Fontaine class III and 47.05% in Fontaine class IV. However, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant in terms of disease severity expressed by the Fontaine class. Similarly, there were no significant differences between the groups in relation to the Rutherford classification (\(p\)-value for difference between the groups 0.37) (Table 2). The CT complexity of the vascular lesions was assessed on the basis of TASC classification, which assigned 8 patients to TASC A, 13 patients to class B, 11 patients to class C and 2 patients to TASC D. PIAT volumes presented a gradual increase with the TASC class (2.57 +/\(-\) 1.98, 95% CI 0.90 to \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Parameter**} & **Group 1** & **Group 2** & & \\  & **(Low Mean Perililate Fat Volume)** & **(High Mean Perililate Fat Volume)** & **95\% CI** & \(p\)**-Value** \\  & **n = 17** & **n = 17** & & \\ \hline Age (years) & 69.59 +/\(-\)12.12 & 69 +/\(-\)7.99 & 95\% CI -3760 to 10.58 & \(p\) = 0.33 \\ \hline Gender, male (n,\%) & 10 (58.82\%) & 15 (88.23\%) & 95\% CI -0.5937 to 0.0054 & \(p\) = 0.054 \\ \hline Cholesterol (mgdl) & 149.8+/\(-\)52.68 & 224.1 +/\(-\)76.09 & 95\% CI -126.3 to -22.24 & \(p\) = 0.007 \\ \hline Creatinine (mgdl) & 1.1 +/\(-\)0.47 & 0.93 +/\(-\)0.19 & 95\% CI -0.4854 to 0.137 & \(p\) = 0.25 \\ \hline Triglycerides (mgdl) & 140.7+/\(-\)50.49 & 134.78 +/\(-\)40.06 & 95\% CI -43.95 to 38.19 & \(p\) = 0.88 \\ \hline Hematocrit (\%) & 36.52 +/\(-\)6.63 & 40.71 +/\(-\)3.55 & 95\% CI -0.3348 to 8.71 & \(p\) = 0.068 \\ \hline Hemoglobin (gdl) & 12.51+/\(-\)2.18 & 13.47 +/\(-\)1.52 & 95\% CI -0.6303 to 2.551 & \(p\) = 0.22 \\ \hline Previous AMI (n,\%) & 3 (7.6%) & 2 (1.176\%) & 95\% CI -0.3130 to 10.954 & \(p\) = 0.64 \\ \hline Hypertension (n,\%) & 16 (94.11\%) & 17 (100\%) & 95\% CI -0.061 to 10.786 & \(p\) = 0.32 \\ \hline Diabetes & 6 (5.29\%) & 6 (65.29\%) & 95\% CI -0.3442 to 0.3442 & \(p\) = 0.99 \\ \hline History of stroke (n,\%) & 1 (5.85\%) & 2 (11.7\%) & 99\% CI -0.1443 to 0.2620 & \(p\) = 0.55 \\ \hline Coronary artery disease (n,\%) & 5 (29.4\%) & 2 (11.7\%) & 95\% CI -0.5962 to 0.3270 & \(p\) = 0.54 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Baseline characteristics, comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors of the study population. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Parameter**} & **Group 1** & **Group 2** & & \\  & **(Low-PIAT Volume)** & **(High-PIAT Volume)** & **95\% CI** & \(p\)**-value** \\  & **n = 17** & **n = 17** & & \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{TASC class} & TASC A: 7 (41.17\%) & TASC B: 3 (7.64\%) & & \\  & TASC B: (10 58.83\%) & TASC C: 1 (84.74\%) & 95\% CI 0.7971 to 1.673 & \(p\) \(<\) 0.001 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-4}  & & TASC D: 21.17\%) & & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{[PERSON] class} & [PERSON] 25 (29.4\%) & [PERSON] 28 (47.05\%) & & \\  & [PERSON] 37 (41.15\%) & [PERSON] 34 (5.88\%) & 95\% CI -0.6298 to 0.6298 & \(p\) = 0.99 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-4}  & & [PERSON] 21.21\%) & [PERSON] 38 (47.05\%) & & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{[PERSON] class} & [PERSON] 33 (17.6\%) & [PERSON] 41 (8.5\%) & & \\  & [PERSON] 47 (41.15\%) & [PERSON] 51 (5.8\%) & 95\% CI -0.5134 to 1.337 & \(p\) = 0.37 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-4}  & [PERSON] 53 (17.6\%) & [PERSON] 62 (41.1\%) & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Severity and complexity of peripheral artery disease in the study groups. Severity of peripheral arterial disease is expressed by Fontaine class and Rutherford stage, while complexity is reflected by the Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) class.