title: Below knee angioplasty in elderly patients: predictors of major adverse clinical outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine predictors of clinical outcome following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in elderly patients with below knee atherosclerotic lesions causing intermittent claudication (IC) or critical limb ischaemia (CLI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 7.5 years, 76 patients (CLI 72%, n = 55) underwent below knee PTA. The composite end-point of interest was major adverse clinical outcome (MACO) of the treated limb at follow-up which was defined as clinical failure, need for subsequent endovascular or surgical revascularization or amputation. Actuarial freedom from MACO was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IC was improved in 95% at mean 3.4 years (range 0.5-108 months). Successful limb salvage and ulcer healing were seen in 73% with CLI. Most failures were in the CLI group (27% CLI vs. 5% IC), with an amputation rate of 16% for CLI vs. 5% for IC and persistent ulceration in 24% of CLI. Significant independent predictors of MACO were ulceration (hazard ratio 4.02, 95% CI = 1.55-10.38) and family history of atherosclerosis (hazard ratio 2.53, 95% CI = 1.1-5.92).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary below knee PTA is a feasible therapeutic option in this elderly population. Limb ulceration and family history of atherosclerosis may be independent predictors of adverse outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Academic Radiology, Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont Road, Dublin 9, Ireland.
authors.forename: Aoife N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Keeling
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khalidi
authors.forename: Sum
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: Tim T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Alaa S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Ayyoub
authors.forename: Frank P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.forename: Thanos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Athanasiou
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000601:surgery*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology