title: Follow-up of conventional angioplasty versus laser thermal angioplasty for total femoropopliteal artery occlusions: results of a randomized trial.
abstract: Sixty-eight patients with 68 femoropopliteal occlusions were entered into a randomized trial of conventional guide-wire and catheter percutaneous angioplasty versus laser thermal angioplasty. Thirty-four occlusions were randomized to conventional angioplasty and 34 to laser thermal angioplasty. After successful recanalization and balloon dilation, the patients were followed up for 1 year. Follow-up consisted of obtaining measurements of the ankle-arm indexes at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The increase in the mean resting ankle-arm index 1 year after conventional angioplasty (0.26) was greater than that after laser angioplasty (0.12). At 1-year follow-up, the cumulative success rate was 47% for patients treated with conventional angioplasty versus 39% for those treated with laser angioplasty. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in clinical success between the two treatment groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, England.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Belli
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Cumberland
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Procter
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Welsh
mesh_terms: D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D016342:Angioplasty, Laser; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011150:Popliteal Artery