title: Evaluation of a dedicated balloon catheter for infrapopliteal difficult calcified lesions in diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the technical performance and immediate procedural outcome of a new balloon catheter in the treatment of calcified lesions in infrapopliteal arterial disease. Sixty-one patients (81 vessels) with infrapopliteal arterial disease were evaluated. Seventy-four of the 81 treated vessels had total occlusions. The ReeKross 18 peripheral transluminal angioplasty catheter (ClearStream, Wexford, Ireland) is an 0.018-inch guidewire system with 4F sheath compatibility and a rigid shaft intended for enhanced pushability. Only technical procedural outcomes were recorded. In 37 of 61 patients (50 infrapopliteal severely stenosed or occluded vessels), an attempt with a standard balloon was made before the ReeKross 18 was used. In 24 patients, the ReeKross 18 was used as the primary catheter in 23 cases involving crural arteries and in 8 cases involving the foot. The ReeKross 18 crossed the lesion in 55 of 59 (93.2%) patients and 72 of 77 (94.5%) vessels, respectively. Postdilatation results for the 51 patients (64 target lesions) in whom ReeKross 18 balloon dilation was achieved showed <30% residual stenosis in all but 4 patients (5 lesions). Of the patients treated with the ReeKross 18 as the primary catheter, the technical success rate (no adjunctive treatment/stent) was obtained in 20 of 24 (83.3%) patients (27 of 31 [87.1%] target lesions). In the treatment of difficult calcified lesions, the choice of a high-pushability angioplasty catheter, such as the ReeKross 18, warrants consideration.
authors.affiliation: Interventional Radiology Unit, Salus Hospital, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy. tommasolupattelli@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lupattelli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000628:therapy*; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D011150:Popliteal Artery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome