Current state of endovascular treatment of femoro-popliteal artery disease

• Published in: Vascular medicine (London, England) Vol. 12; no. 3; pp. 223 - 234
• Main Author: Zeller, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England Sage Publications 01.08.2007; Arnold; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publications
• Subjects: Arteriosclerosis - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular system; Diseases of the cardiovascular system; Diseases of the peripheral vessels. Diseases of the vena cava. Miscellaneous; Femoral Artery - pathology; Femoral Artery - surgery; Guidelines as Topic; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Medical sciences; Peripheral Vascular Diseases - surgery; Popliteal Artery - pathology; Popliteal Artery - surgery; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Ultrasonic investigative techniques; Vascular Surgical Procedures - instrumentation; Vascular Surgical Procedures - methods; Vascular Surgical Procedures - trends; stent; peripheral occlusive disease; percutaneous intervention; popliteal artery; superficial femoral artery; angioplasty; Superficial femoral artery; Treatment; Cardiovascular disease; Popliteal artery; Endovascular route; Instrumental dilatation; Stent; Percutaneous route
• ISSN: 1358-863X; 1477-0377
• DOI: 10.1177/1358863X07079823

Considerable advances have been made over the last decade in percutaneous technology for the treatment of atherosclerotic diseases in the femoro-popliteal arteries. While treatment strategies are well defined in the iliac segment, where angioplasty and stenting perform well in appropriately selected lesions, the search for a durable transcatheter therapy for femoro-popliteal lesions continues. Whereas balloon angioplasty (PTA) is the accepted therapy for short lesions, long diffuse lesions are still recommended for surgical treatment. However, attractive new technologies ranging from transcatheter plaque excision to laser ablation, rotational atherectomy, cryoplasty, brachytherapy, and placement of drug-eluting stents to simple angioplasty with drug-coated balloons may have the potential to replace femoro-popliteal bypass surgery as a treatment of choice for complex lesions. This article reviews the status of percutaneous endovascular techniques for the treatment of femoro-popliteal artery occlusive disease.