INDIANAPOLIS -- The left foot of Peggy Walters, 74, was once cold to the touch.

That's because the arteries that supply blood to her lower leg were clogged with the same plaque that causes heart disease. In the legs, it's called peripheral arteries disease, or PAD.

Within several months, an ulcer appeared on the Indianapolis woman's foot, and it would not heal. Left untreated, the wound could have resulted in gangrene and amputation.

Late last year, Walters underwent a balloon stent procedure in hopes of fixing the problem.

"That helped, but not enough," she told Staying Healthy reporter Stacia Matthews.

That's when doctors sent Walters to Dr. William Berg, a vascular surgeon with Indiana Heart Physicians at St. Francis Hospital. Berg used an excimer, or cool laser, to evaporate the plaque.

The excimer produces pulsed bursts of light energy transmitted along a flexible glass fiber encased in catheters.

Berg guided the catheter to the trouble spots through a tiny opening in the groin.

"We take a tiny wire down that artery, and over that we bring a laser and basically vaporize the plaque that's obstructing the area," Berg said.

The 90-minute procedure can treat more than one clogged artery and even reach the tiniest veins.

"These can be tough to treat, even with surgery," Berg said. "But this is a way for us to open up those arteries and re-establish blood flow and save feet."

And it helps heal ulcers.

"Oh, I feel wonderful," Walters said. "It's healing up nicely."

Berg said patients experience little pain, and many return to normal activity in a few days.

People whose legs hurt when they walk or exercise but feel better when they stop may have PAD.

Berg said symptoms should never be ignored. People suffering from PAD are at an increased risk for heart disease, aortic aneurysms and stroke.