Angioplasty to common femoral artery begins to emerge as an alternative to surgery

Original title: Acute and Medium-Term Outcomes of Endovascular Therapy of Obstructive Disease of Diverse Etiology of the Common Femoral Artery. Reference: Philip B. Dattilo et al. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions 81:1013–1022 (2013).

Surgical endarterectomy is established as the gold standard for treating injuries to common femoral artery since angioplasty presents some difficulties due to the risk of compromising the deep femoral artery or the physical forces to which it is subjected when segmenting a stent. Despite the above, there are emerging studies supporting angioplasty as an alternative to surgery.

 This study included 30 patients of whom 22 had chronic atherosclerotic lesions and 8 acute ischemia due to complications from access by percutaneous closure devices. The overall technical success in this cohort was 90% (given the inability to cross the lesion in 3 patients who were eventually referred for surgery). A stent was used in only one patient, with the initial intention to only perform balloon angioplasty combined with different atherectomy devices. The primary and secondary patency at two years follow-up was 83% ± 8% and 86% ± 7%, respectively. All those who showed restenosis had originally developed atherosclerotic lesions.

Conclusion:

In this series of consecutive patients with injury to the common femoral artery of various etiologies, balloon angioplasty combined with atherectomy devices had acceptable results without stent implants or deep femoral compromise. The excellent primary patency observed in patients with injuries due to the use of percutaneous closure devices suggests endovascular treatment as the first option for this group of patients.

Commentary:

The ability to successfully resolve our own complications, such as those associated with percutaneous closure device, is good news. However, angioplasty for atherosclerotic lesions in the common femoral artery should still be reserved for patients with contraindications to surgery.

SOLACI.ORG

More articles by this author

Coil embolization of segmental arteries as a spinal cord protection strategy prior to complex endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aorta

Spinal cord ischemia remains one of the most devastating complications in the repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms, with incidences of up to 20–30% in extensive...

Mechanical thrombectomy versus anticoagulation in intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism: systematic review and meta-analysis

Intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) has anticoagulation as the standard treatment, while reperfusion strategies remain a matter of debate. In this context, mechanical thrombectomy has...

Therapeutic strategies in carotid free-floating thrombus: evidence and controversies

Carotid free-floating thrombus (cFFT) is a rare entity with a high embolic risk, associated with acute neurological events such as stroke or transient ischemic...

ACC 2026 | SirPAD Trial: Sirolimus-coated balloon angioplasty in infrainguinal arterial disease

Paclitaxel-coated balloons have demonstrated improved patency in peripheral arterial disease (PAD), although questions remain regarding safety and applicability across different vascular territories. In this...

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related Articles

SOLACI Sessionsspot_img

Recent Articles

Coil embolization of segmental arteries as a spinal cord protection strategy prior to complex endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aorta

Spinal cord ischemia remains one of the most devastating complications in the repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms, with incidences of up to 20–30% in extensive...

Mechanical thrombectomy versus anticoagulation in intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism: systematic review and meta-analysis

Intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) has anticoagulation as the standard treatment, while reperfusion strategies remain a matter of debate. In this context, mechanical thrombectomy has...

High Ischaemic Risk Criteria in Chronic Coronary Syndrome: Prevalence and Prognosis

Despite advances in the management of chronic coronary syndrome (CCS), including the widespread use of drug-eluting stents (DES) and the optimization of medical therapy,...