title: Vibrational angioplasty in the treatment of chronic infrapopliteal arterial occlusions: preliminary experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the safety and efficacy of vibrational angioplasty in chronic infrapopliteal arterial occlusions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve patients (9 men, aged 54 to 90 years) with 13 below-knee arterial chronic total occlusions were treated percutaneously using vibrational angioplasty. The occlusions were located in the anterior tibial artery (n=5), the tibioperoneal trunk (n=4), the peroneal artery (n=1), the posterior tibial artery (n=1), and in both the tibioperoneal trunk and peroneal artery (n=2). The length of the lesions ranged from 5 to 14 cm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recanalization was successful in 12 (92.3%) lesions. In 1 case, the wire perforated the arterial wall; the procedure was abandoned without clinical sequelae. The time to cross the occlusions with the wire ranged from 6 to 19 minutes. No other complications were observed. Clinical follow-up ranged to 18 months. Ten patients with ulceration or gangrene demonstrated good wound healing, and pain was alleviated in all successfully treated patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vibrational angioplasty appears feasible as a means of safely recanalizing chronic total occlusions of the infrapopliteal arteries. Further experience should be acquired to assess its short- and long-term effects on this vascular territory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Tsetis
authors.forename: Lampros K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Michalis
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.forename: Asterios N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Katsamouris
authors.forename: Miltiadis I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Matsagas
authors.forename: Christos S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Katsouras
authors.forename: Dimitrios A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sideris
authors.forename: Nicholas C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Gourtsoyiannis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016523:Foot Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D011859:Radiography; D012086:Reoperation; D016909:Tibial Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology