title: Percutaneous atherectomy of occlusive peripheral vascular disease: stenoses and/or occlusions.
abstract: Percutaneous atherectomy was performed using the Simpson Atherocath on 131 patients (87 male, 66%) with a mean age of 65 years. Clinical characteristics included evidence of significant coronary disease in 50%, hypertension in 46%, diabetes in 41%, and prior neurologic deficit in 32% of patients. The indication for atherectomy was claudication in 114 (87%) and rest pain, gangrene, or ulcer in 17 patients (13%). Atherectomy was successfully performed in 136/139 stenoses (98%) and in 56/56 occluded vessels with or without prior balloon angioplasty. No serious complications resulting in limb loss or emergency vascular surgery were encountered. Histopathology of retrieved specimens showed that 66% had atheromatous plaque, 45% had tunica media, and 30% had a form of thrombus. Material obtained from an occluded vessel was more likely to have thrombus and tunica media present than that from a stenosis (P less than 0.02 and P less than 0.05, respectively). Early angiographic follow-up (mean time, 17 weeks) showed a relatively low (17%) lesion recurrence rate. Percutaneous atherectomy can be successfully utilized in stenotic and occluded peripheral arteries with good success and no serious complications; stenoses appear to have a low recurrence rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St. Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dorros
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lewin
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sachdev
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mathiak
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D011859:Radiography; D012008:Recurrence