title: Advances in endovascular treatment of femoropopliteal arterial occlusive disease.
abstract: Over the past decade, accumulated experience and considerable advances in percutaneous endovascular techniques have enabled their use with increasing frequency for the management of peripheral arterial occlusive disease. However, despite the established role of endoluminal approaches in many other arterial territories, their application for the treatment of femoropopliteal occlusive disease is still debatable due to unique unfavorable anatomical, functional, and flow characteristics of this area. Conventional balloon angioplasty in the femoral and popliteal arteries is frequently associated with suboptimal results and high restenosis rates. To overcome these limitations, emerging approaches have been introduced or are currently under investigation. These include angioplasty modifications, newer concepts in stent design, adjunctive pharmacotherapy, debulking devices, and the application of gamma radiation and freezing in an attempt to reduce intimal hyperplastic response and consequently to expand the application of minimal invasive techniques in the hostile femoropopliteal environment. This review article will present the current status and future trends of endovascular therapy of femoropopliteal artery occlusive disease.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Vascular Division, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece. chris_klonaris@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klonaris
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Katsargyris
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannopoulos
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bastounis
mesh_terms: D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D015607:Stents; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000601:surgery; D014654:Vascular Patency; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible