title: Three-year results after directional atherectomy of calcified stenotic lesions of the superficial femoral artery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the 3-year outcome of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and heavily calcified stenotic lesions of the superficial femoral artery after directional atherectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-three patients (mean age 67 ± 10 years; 18 females, 35 males, TASC B and C, mean lesion length 7.9 ± 3.5 cm) with PAD (Rutherford 2-6) were enrolled into this prospective monocentric study. In total, 59 calcified lesions of the superficial femoral artery were treated with the Silverhawk atherectomy device (Covidien, Plymouth, MN, USA). Patients were followed-up for 36 months with a 6-month interval to perform clinical re-evaluation, including measurement of maximum walking distance and ankle-brachial index (ABI) as well as duplex-sonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The primary success rate of the procedure was 92 %. In five cases (8 %), additional balloon-PTA and/or stent-PTA was necessary. Procedure-related embolization occurred in seven cases (12 %), which were all successfully treated by aspiration. The primary patency rate after 3 years was 55 %. Median Rutherford score decreased significantly from 5 to 0 after 36 months (p < 0.001). At the same time, the ABI increased from 0.65 to 1.12 (not significant). The limb-salvage rate after 3 years was 87 %.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this subgroup of patients with POD and calcified stenotic lesions, atherectomy was successfully applied to decrease the plaque burden. Results after 3 years showed a significant decrease of Rutherford score with persistent improvement of ABI and reasonable patency rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Saarland Homburg, Kirrberger Straße, 66421, Homburg/Saar, Germany, peterminko@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Minko
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buecker
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katoh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index / Q000379:methods; D017073:Atherectomy / Q000379:methods*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex / Q000379:methods