[Transluminal percutaneous angioplasty by thermal lasers. 20 cases of peripheral artery occlusion].
The authors report their experience of laser thermal angioplasty in a series of 20 patients. An argon laser with a 1.5 or 2.0 millimeter diameter metalcapped optical fiber (Hot Tip Trimedyne Inc.) was used; the laser probe was pushed to the occlusion point; after a channel was produced through the obliteration, a conventional percutaneous balloon angioplasty was performed. The indications were: 4 primitive iliac occlusions, 15 femoral/popliteal occlusions and 1 subclavian obliteration. The immediate results were as follows (table I): 75% overall recanalization (50% at the iliac level, 87% at the femoral/popliteal level and failure at the subclavian level); 5 notable complications were observed (2 limb ischaemia, 2 voluminous inguinal haematoma and 1 aortic cross perforation) without clinical sequelae. The short term follow-up (1 to 8 months) of the successfully treated patients (table II) shows 100% permeability at the iliac level and 77% at the femoral/popliteal level. We conclude that laser thermal angioplasty is a very attractive method in the treatment of primitive iliac and femoral/popliteal occlusions. The well-defined indications must form the subject of a closely discussion between the angiologist, the vascular surgeon and the interventional radiologist.
Wautrecht
J C
JC
Service médico-chirurgical de pathologie vasculaire, Hôpital Erasme, Bruxelles, Belgique.
Vandenbosch
G
G
Delcour
C
C
Van Bunnen
Y
Y
Motte
S
S
Bellens
B
B
Dereume
J P
JP
Struyven
J
J
D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000379:methods*; D001128:Argon; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy
D001128:Argon
Angioplastie transluminale percutanée assistée au laser thermique. Expérience de 20 cas d'oblitérations artérielles périphériques.