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Journal of Vascular Surgery Feb 2022Atherectomy has become increasingly used as an endovascular treatment of lower extremity atherosclerotic disease in the United States. However, concerns and...
OBJECTIVE
Atherectomy has become increasingly used as an endovascular treatment of lower extremity atherosclerotic disease in the United States. However, concerns and controversies about its indications and outcomes exist. The goal of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the outcomes and complications related to atherectomy to treat femoropopliteal atherosclerotic disease.
METHODS
A systematic review in accordance with the recommendations from the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) statement was performed. Four major scientific repositories (MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Thompson Web of Sciences) were queried from their inception to April 5, 2020. We reviewed and entered the data in a dedicated dataset. The outcomes included the patency rates, clinical and hemodynamic improvement, and morbidity and mortality associated with atherectomy interventions.
RESULTS
Twenty-four studies encompassing 1900 patients met the inclusion criteria for the present study. Of the 1900 patients, 74.3% had presented with Rutherford class 1 to 3 and 25.7% presented with Rutherford class 4 to 6; 1445 patients had undergone atherectomy, and 455 patients had been treated without atherectomy. The atherectomy group had undergone directional atherectomy (n = 851), rotational atherectomy (n = 851), laser atherectomy (n = 201), and orbital atherectomy (n = 78). Most of these patients had also received adjunct treatments, which varied across the studies and included a combination of stenting, balloon angioplasty, or drug-coated balloon angioplasty. Technical success was achieved in 92.3% of the cases. Distal embolization, vessel perforation, and dissection occurred in 3.4%, 1.9%, and 4% of the cases, respectively. The initial patency was 95.4%. At the 12-month median follow-up, the primary patency was 72.6%. The ankle brachial index had improved from a preoperative mean of 0.6 to a postoperative mean of 0.84. The incidence of major amputation and mortality during the follow-up period was 2.2% and 3.4%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The results from our review of the reported data suggest that femoropopliteal atherectomy can be completed safely, modestly improving the ankle brachial index and maintaining the 1-year patency in nearly three of four patients. However, these findings were based on heterogeneous studies that skewed the generalizable conclusions about atherectomy's efficacy. Atherectomy places a high cost burden on the healthcare system and is used in the United States at a higher rate than in other countries. Our review of the literature did not demonstrate clear atherectomy superiority to alternatives that would warrant the pervasive and increasing use of this costly technology. Future work should focus on developing high-quality randomized controlled trials to determine the specific patient and lesion characteristics for which atherectomy can add value.
Topics: Angioplasty, Balloon; Atherectomy; Atherosclerosis; Coated Materials, Biocompatible; Femoral Artery; Humans; Intermittent Claudication; Popliteal Artery; Stents; Vascular Patency
PubMed: 34303802
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2021.07.106 -
International Journal of Clinical... Oct 2021Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel adjunct in the field of medicine. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the role of OCT in the field of... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel adjunct in the field of medicine. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the role of OCT in the field of contemporary endovascular surgery in terms of its utility in diagnostics and interventions in peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
METHOD
A systematic search of literature published from 1st January 2009 to 1st August 2019 was identified from PubMed, Ovid and Cochrane library database with reference to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The pre-defined selection inclusion criteria were clinical applications of OCT in vascular surgery in relation to diagnostics and interventions. Keywords used included OCT, PAD, endovascular procedures and atherectomy.
RESULTS
From an initial search of 310 articles, 27 articles were included in this systematic review: 15 articles were related to diagnostics: peripheral arterial disease was the most studied condition (n = 8), other conditions included in-stent restenosis (n = 4), fibromuscular dysplasia (n = 2) and acute limb ischaemia (n = 1); 12 articles were related to intervention: an OCT-guided crossing catheter was the most used assisting device (n = 10), with an OCT-guided atherectomy device used in four of these studies.
CONCLUSION
Although there is currently no level 1 evidence to suggest routine use of OCT in the diagnosis and treatment of PAD, current literature suggests that the use of OCT is safe and effective. The OCT real-time vessel wall structural images clearly distinguish normal anatomy from plaque pathology, and are of great advantage both in the accurate diagnosis and treatment of target lesion, especially in reducing the amount of radiation in the endovascular procedure.
Topics: Atherectomy; Humans; Ischemia; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Plaque, Atherosclerotic; Tomography, Optical Coherence
PubMed: 34258814
DOI: 10.1111/ijcp.14628 -
European Journal of Vascular and... Jul 2021The efficacy and cost effectiveness of atherectomy for femoropopliteal (FP) arterial diseases have not been determined yet. A systematic review and meta-analysis were... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis
Atherectomy Combined with Balloon Angioplasty versus Balloon Angioplasty Alone for de Novo Femoropopliteal Arterial Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.
OBJECTIVE
The efficacy and cost effectiveness of atherectomy for femoropopliteal (FP) arterial diseases have not been determined yet. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to compare the efficacy and safety between atherectomy combined with balloon angioplasty (BA) and BA alone for patients with de novo FP steno-occlusive lesions.
METHODS
The Cochrane Library, Medline, and Embase were used to search for studies evaluating outcomes of atherectomy combined with BA compared with BA alone in FP arterial diseases from inception to July 2020. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated with the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework was used to assess the level of evidence for each outcome. The fixed effects model was chosen to combine the data when I < 50%; otherwise, the random effects model was used. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to further analyse the results.
RESULTS
Four RCTs were included. The meta-analysis showed that atherectomy combined with BA was associated with improved technical success rate (risk ratio [RR] 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13-0.38, p < .001; I = 0; high quality), reduced bailout stenting (RR 0.15, 95% CI 0.07-0.32, p < .001; I = 16%; high quality), and flow limiting dissection (RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.13-0.47, p < .001; I = 0; high quality). No statistically significant difference was found in target lesion revascularisation (TLR), primary patency, mortality, major adverse event (MAE), or ankle brachial index (ABI) after one year follow up.
CONCLUSION
Compared with BA alone, atherectomy combined with BA may not improve primary patency, TLR, mortality rate, or ABI, but may reduce the need for bailout stenting and the incidence of flow limiting dissection and increase the technical success rate in FP arterial diseases. More studies are warranted to further confirm the conclusion.
Topics: Aortic Dissection; Angioplasty, Balloon; Ankle Brachial Index; Atherectomy; Combined Modality Therapy; Femoral Artery; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Postoperative Complications; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stents; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Patency
PubMed: 34112574
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2021.02.012 -
Journal of Community Hospital Internal... Mar 2021: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a pathological deposition of calcium in the intimal and medial layer of the arterial wall. A plethora of therapeutic calcium... (Review)
Review
: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a pathological deposition of calcium in the intimal and medial layer of the arterial wall. A plethora of therapeutic calcium debulking techniques is available for the treatment of CAC, including orbital or rotational atherectomy, excimer lasers, cutting, and scoring balloons, which are associated with a soaring rate of complication and low efficacy. To this end, in 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posited that shockwave intravascular lithotripsy (S-IVL) technique can be employed with minimal complication. : A retrospective review of cases received lithotripsy for calcified coronary artery disease was performed by using online data from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The available search results were downloaded into an Endnote library and analyzed into two phases. : Out of 24 participants from case reports and series, Majority were found to be Male. There was no significant difference found in the mortality of patients undergoing IVL for the stenosis of the left main stem, left anterior descending, left circumflex artery, or diagonal branch. The mortality was found to be high among 6 patients with prior comorbidities and underwent more than 3 cycles of IVL (OR 37,95% Cl 1.54-886.04, P 0.02). Out of 24 patients, 2 (8.33%) patients developed complications such as vessel dissection (OR 3.4, 95% Cl 17.87-64.68, P 0.4). : Shockwave intravascular lithotripsy (S-IVL) may be used in cases of the calcified disease to gain vessel lumen in order to deploy drug-eluting stents with PCI. The success of the DES implantation of IVL can be 100% with a minimal complication rate.
PubMed: 33889320
DOI: 10.1080/20009666.2021.1883219 -
Vascular Dec 2021To compare the safety and efficiency of atherectomy plus drug-coated balloon with drug-coated balloon only for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery lesions. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVES
To compare the safety and efficiency of atherectomy plus drug-coated balloon with drug-coated balloon only for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery lesions.
METHODS
This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed and reported following the requirement of the PRISMA. EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane library were queried from January 2000 to June 2020 to identify eligible literature. The modified Downs and Black checklist was used to assess the quality of included studies. Outcome measures included bail-out stenting, distal embolization, perforation, hematoma, primary patency at 12 months, target lesion revascularization at 12 months, leg amputation at 12 months, and mortality at 12 months. We used DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model to pool the dichotomous data on risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from each study to obtain an overall estimate for major outcomes. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analyses were conducted.
RESULTS
Six studies (two randomized controlled trials and four retrospective cohort studies) with 470 patients were included. Atherectomy plus drug-coated balloon group was associated with lower rates of bail-out stenting (RR: 0.49, 95%CI: 0.34-0.71, < 0.001). There was no significant difference between two groups in terms of distal embolization (RR: 2.06, 95%CI: 0.51-8.38, = 0.31), perforation (RR: 2.04, 95%CI: 0.43-9.71, = 0.37), hematoma (RR: 1.75, 95%CI: 0.43-7.09, = 0.43), primary patency at 12 months (1.09, 95%CI: 0.98-1.21, = 0.12), target lesion revascularization at 12 months (RR: 0.68, 95%CI: 0.41-1.14, = 0.15), leg amputations at 12 months (RR: 0.54, 95%CI: 0.13-2.23, = 0.39), mortality at 12 months (RR: 2.18, 95%CI: 0.71-6.64, = 0.17). Sensitivity analysis had no effect on our findings.
CONCLUSIONS
The combination of atherectomy and drug-coated balloon was safe and effective in the treatment of femoropopliteal artery lesions, with lower incidence of bail-out stenting compared with drug-coated balloon only.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amputation, Surgical; Angioplasty, Balloon; Atherectomy; Coated Materials, Biocompatible; Equipment Design; Female; Femoral Artery; Humans; Limb Salvage; Male; Middle Aged; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Popliteal Artery; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Access Devices; Vascular Patency
PubMed: 33478353
DOI: 10.1177/1708538120985732 -
Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal :... Jun 2021Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is one of the paramount hurdles for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) since it impedes stent delivery and complete expansion.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Short term outcomes of rotational atherectomy versus orbital atherectomy in patients undergoing complex percutaneous coronary intervention: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is one of the paramount hurdles for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) since it impedes stent delivery and complete expansion. This study intended to evaluate the short-term clinical and procedural outcomes comparing rotational atherectomy (RA) and orbital atherectomy (OA) in patients with heavily calcified coronary lesions undergoing PCI. : This systematic review and meta-analysis included all head-to-head published comparisons of coronary RA versus OA. Procedural endpoints and post-procedural clinical outcomes (30 days/in-hospital), were compared. RevMan 5.3 software was used for data analysis. : Seven retrospective observational investigations with a total of 4623 patients, including 3203 patients in the RA group and 1420 patients in the OA group, were incorporated. Compared with OA, the RA group was associated with a higher incidence of myocardial infarction at short-term follow-up (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.07-2.29, = .02, = 0%). No difference was noted among other short-term post-procedural clinical outcomes including all-cause mortality, target vessel revascularization, or major adverse cardiac events. Among procedural complications, RA was associated with reduced coronary artery dissection and arterial perforation. Increased fluoroscopy time was observed in the RA cohort as compared with OA (MD: 4.78, 95% CI: 2.25-7.30, = .0002, = 80%). : RA was associated with fewer vascular complications, but at a cost of higher incidence of myocardial infarction and higher fluoroscopy time compared with OA, at short term follow-up. OA is a safe and effective alternative for the management of CAC.
Topics: Atherectomy; Atherectomy, Coronary; Humans; Observational Studies as Topic; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33461347
DOI: 10.1080/14017431.2021.1875139 -
Catheterization and Cardiovascular... Nov 2021The optimal approach to deal with severe coronary artery calcification (CAC) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains ill-defined. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
INTRODUCTION
The optimal approach to deal with severe coronary artery calcification (CAC) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains ill-defined.
METHODS
We conducted an electronic database search of all published studies comparing Orbital versus Rotational Atherectomy in patients undergoing PCI.
RESULTS
Eight observational studies were included in the analysis. Overall, there were no significant differences in Major-adverse-cardiac-events/MACE (OR: 0.81, CI: 0.63-1.05, p = .11), myocardial-infarction/MI (OR: 0.75, CI: 0.56-1.00, p = .05), all-cause mortality (OR: 0.82, CI: 0.25-2.64, p = .73) or Target-vessel-revascularization/TVR (OR: 0.72, CI: 0.38-1.36, p = .31). However, OA was associated with lower long-term MACE (1-year), (OR: 0.66, CI: 0.44-0.99, p = .04), long-term TVR (OR: 0.40, CI: 0.18-0.89, p = .03), and short-term MI (in-hospital and 30-day) (OR: 0.64, CI: 0.44-0.94, p = .02). OA was associated with more coronary artery dissections (OR: 2.61, CI: 1.38-4.92, p = .003) and device-related coronary perforations (OR: 2.79, CI: 1.08-7.19, p = .03). There were no differences in cardiac tamponade (OR: 1.78, CI: 0.37-8.69, p = .47). OA was noted to have significantly lower fluoroscopy time (MD: -3.96 min, CI: -7.67, -0.25; p = .04) compared to RA. No significant difference was noted in terms of contrast volume between the two groups (OR: -4.35 ml, CI: -14.52, 23.22; p = .65).
CONCLUSION
Although there was no difference in overall MACE, MI, all-cause mortality and TVR, OA was associated with lower long-term MACE and short-term MI. OA is associated with lower fluoroscopy time but higher rates of coronary artery dissection and coronary perforation.
Topics: Atherectomy; Atherectomy, Coronary; Coronary Artery Disease; Coronary Stenosis; Humans; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Calcification
PubMed: 33325587
DOI: 10.1002/ccd.29430 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Sep 2020Symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has several treatment options, including angioplasty, stenting, exercise therapy, and bypass surgery. Atherectomy is an... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has several treatment options, including angioplasty, stenting, exercise therapy, and bypass surgery. Atherectomy is an alternative procedure, in which atheroma is cut or ground away within the artery. This is the first update of a Cochrane Review published in 2014.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effectiveness of atherectomy for peripheral arterial disease compared to other established treatments.
SEARCH METHODS
The Cochrane Vascular Information Specialist searched the Cochrane Vascular Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED) databases, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and ClinicalTrials.gov trials registers to 12 August 2019.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included all randomised controlled trials that compared atherectomy with other established treatments. All participants had symptomatic PAD with either claudication or critical limb ischaemia and evidence of lower limb arterial disease.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors screened studies for inclusion, extracted data, assessed risk of bias and used GRADE criteria to assess the certainty of the evidence. We resolved any disagreements through discussion. Outcomes of interest were: primary patency (at six and 12 months), all-cause mortality, fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, initial technical failure rates, target vessel revascularisation rates (TVR; at six and 12 months); and complications.
MAIN RESULTS
We included seven studies, with a total of 527 participants and 581 treated lesions. We found two comparisons: atherectomy versus balloon angioplasty (BA) and atherectomy versus BA with primary stenting. No studies compared atherectomy with bypass surgery. Overall, the evidence from this review was of very low certainty, due to a high risk of bias, imprecision and inconsistency. Six studies (372 participants, 427 treated lesions) compared atherectomy versus BA. We found no clear difference between atherectomy and BA for the primary outcomes: six-month primary patency rates (risk ratio (RR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94 to 1.20; 3 studies, 186 participants; very low-certainty evidence); 12-month primary patency rates (RR 1.20, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.84; 2 studies, 149 participants; very low-certainty evidence) or mortality rates (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.10 to 2.66, 3 studies, 210 participants, very low-certainty evidence). One study reported cardiac failure and acute coronary syndrome as causes of death at 24 months but it was unclear which arm the participants belonged to, and one study reported no cardiovascular events. There was no clear difference when examining: initial technical failure rates (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.22 to 1.08; 6 studies, 425 treated vessels; very low-certainty evidence), six-month TVR (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.06 to 4.42; 2 studies, 136 treated vessels; very low-certainty evidence) or 12-month TVR (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.42; 3 studies, 176 treated vessels; very low-certainty evidence). All six studies reported complication rates (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.68; 6 studies, 387 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and embolisation events (RR 2.51, 95% CI 0.64 to 9.80; 6 studies, 387 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Atherectomy may be less likely to cause dissection (RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.54; 4 studies, 290 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and may be associated with a reduction in bailout stenting (RR 0.26, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.74; 4 studies, 315 treated vessels; very low-certainty evidence). Four studies reported amputation rates, with only one amputation event recorded in a BA participant. We used subgroup analysis to compare the effect of plain balloons/stents and drug-eluting balloons/stents, but did not detect any differences between the subgroups. One study (155 participants, 155 treated lesions) compared atherectomy versus BA and primary stenting, so comparison was extremely limited and subject to imprecision. This study did not report primary patency. The study reported one death (RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.04 to 3.23; 155 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and three complication events (RR 7.04, 95% CI 0.80 to 62.23; 155 participants; very low-certainty evidence) in a very small data set, making conclusions unreliable. We found no clear difference between the treatment arms in cardiovascular events (RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.04 to 3.23; 155 participants; very low-certainty evidence). This study found no initial technical failure events, and TVR rates at six and 24 months showed little difference between treatment arms (RR 2.27, 95% CI 0.95 to 5.46; 155 participants; very low-certainty evidence and RR 2.05, 95% CI 0.96 to 4.37; 155 participants; very low-certainty evidence, respectively).
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
This review update shows that the evidence is very uncertain about the effect of atherectomy on patency, mortality and cardiovascular event rates compared to plain balloon angioplasty, with or without stenting. We detected no clear differences in initial technical failure rates or TVR, but there may be reduced dissection and bailout stenting after atherectomy although this is uncertain. Included studies were small, heterogenous and at high risk of bias. Larger studies powered to detect clinically meaningful, patient-centred outcomes are required.
Topics: Acute Coronary Syndrome; Angioplasty, Balloon; Atherectomy; Cause of Death; Heart Failure; Humans; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stents
PubMed: 32990327
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006680.pub3 -
BioMed Research International 2020The purpose of this article was to compare the efficiency and safety of drug-coated balloon angioplasty (DCB) and atherectomy with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The purpose of this article was to compare the efficiency and safety of drug-coated balloon angioplasty (DCB) and atherectomy with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients with femoropopliteal in-stent restenosis (ISR). Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (all up to March 2019) were searched systematically. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted. 5 studies with 599 participants were included. Compared with PTA, DCB significantly increased the rate of patency (6 months: RR 1.65, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.09, < 0.01; 12 months: RR 2.38, 95% CI 1.71 to 3.30, < 0.01) and the rate freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR) (6 months: RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.28, < 0.01; 12 months: RR 1.56, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.82, < 0.01) at 6 and 12 months follow-up, and the TSA results showed these outcomes were reliable. The rate of clinical improvement by ≥1 Rutherford category in the DCB group was higher than that in the PTA group (6 months: RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.75, = 0.03; 12 months: RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.82, < 0.01) at 6 and 12 months. There is no statistically difference of ABI, all-cause mortality, and incidence of amputation between DCB group and PTA group (MD 0.03, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.08, = 0.40; RR 1.24, 95% CI 0.46 to 3.34, = 0.67; RR 0.32, 95% CI 0.01 to 7.61, = 0.48). Compared with PTA, the rate of patency and freedom from TLR in the laser atherectomy (LD) group was higher than that in the PTA group (patency: 6 months: RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.64, < 0.05, 12 months: RR 2.25, 95% CI 1.14 to 4.44, < 0.05; freedom from TLR: 6 months: RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.53, = 0.01, 12 months: RR 1.59, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.25, = 0.01) at 6 and 12 months follow-up. In conclusion, DCB and LD had superior clinical (freedom from TLR and clinical improvement) and angiographic outcomes (patency rate) compared with PTA for the treatment of femoropopliteal ISR. Moreover, DCB and LD had a low incidence of amputation and mortality and were relatively safe methods.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Angioplasty, Balloon; Atherectomy; Coated Materials, Biocompatible; Cytoreduction Surgical Procedures; Female; Femoral Artery; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Popliteal Artery; Recurrence; Reoperation; Stents
PubMed: 32596293
DOI: 10.1155/2020/3076346 -
Journal of Endovascular Therapy : An... Aug 2020Endovascular revascularization has been increasingly utilized to treat patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), particularly atherosclerotic disease in...
Endovascular revascularization has been increasingly utilized to treat patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), particularly atherosclerotic disease in the infrapopliteal arteries. Lesions of the infrapopliteal arteries are the result of 2 different etiologies: medial calcification and intimal atheromatous plaque. Although several devices are available for endovascular treatment of infrapopliteal lesions, balloon angioplasty still comprises the mainstay of therapy due to a lack of purpose-built devices. The mechanism of balloon angioplasty consists of adventitial stretching, medial necrosis, and dissection or plaque fracture. In many cases, the diffuse nature of infrapopliteal disease and plaque complexity may lead to dissection, recoil, and early restenosis. Optimal balloon angioplasty requires careful attention to assessment of vessel calcification, appropriate vessel sizing, and the use of long balloons with prolonged inflation times, as outlined in a treatment algorithm based on this systematic review. Further development of specific devices for this arterial segment are warranted, including devices for preventing recoil (eg, dedicated atherectomy devices), treating dissections (eg, tacks, stents), and preventing neointimal hyperplasia (eg, novel drug delivery techniques and drug-eluting stents). Further understanding of infrapopliteal disease, along with the development of new technologies, will help optimize the durability of endovascular interventions and ultimately improve the limb-related outcomes of patients with CLTI.
Topics: Algorithms; Amputation, Surgical; Angioplasty, Balloon; Chronic Disease; Clinical Decision-Making; Decision Support Techniques; Humans; Ischemia; Limb Salvage; Patient Selection; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Popliteal Artery; Recurrence; Risk Factors; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Patency
PubMed: 32571125
DOI: 10.1177/1526602820931488