title: Percutaneous transluminal laserangioplasty with balloon centered direct argon laser light. Experience with 12 patients and a minimal follow-up of 6 months.
abstract: Laser angioplasty with direct argon laser light, combined with a special centering balloon (Lastac system) was performed in 12 patients with a single superficial femoral artery occlusion. The mean length of the occlusion was 5.4 +/- 2.15 cm with a mean duration of occlusion of 7.8 +/- 5.9 months. Initial angiographic success was obtained in 9/12 procedures. Reason of failure was perforation in 1 patient and impossibility to pass the stenosis due to calcifications in 2 patients. Early rethrombosis in 1 patient reduced the primary success rate to 8/12 procedures. Peripheral emboli occurred in 2 patients, both successfully treated by thrombolysis or surgery. Of the 8 recanalized arteries, all remained patent with a mean follow-up of 7.1 +/- 0.68 months. It remains to be determined on larger series whether the Lastac system offers substantial advantages over other, less expensive systems of laser angioplasty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospitals K. U. Leuven.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peene
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilms
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piessens
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Baert
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016342:Angioplasty, Laser / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011150:Popliteal Artery