title: Renal artery intervention using a virtual 4.5-Fr guiding catheter.
abstract: A 6.5-Fr guiding catheter (Parent Plus 45, Medikit, Tokyo, Japan), composed of a hydrophilic sheathless guiding catheter and a dilator, has recently been developed for the treatment of renal artery stenosis. Because of its unique sheathless configuration, its outer diameter is comparable to that of a conventional 4.5-Fr introducer sheath, with the inner diameter being close in size to a 6.5-Fr guiding catheter. These features allow this sheathless system to be used as the sole guiding catheter while the arterial damage at the puncture site remains equivalent to that of a 4.5-Fr introducer sheath. We thus call this novel sheathless guiding catheter a virtual 4.5-Fr system. To demonstrate the potential of this virtual 4.5-Fr system, we report a case of renal artery stenosis successfully treated via the transradial route. This virtual 4.5-Fr system may become a viable alternative to conventional guiding catheters, and provide a favorable impact upon vascular access complications and patient morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Catheterization Laboratory, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, Kamakura, Japan. stake@muse.ocn.ne.jp
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeshita
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matsumi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008904:Miniaturization; D011677:Punctures; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015641:Radiography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012078:Renal Artery Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D062666:Vascular Access Devices