A Study to Assess The Efficacy of Balloon Angioplasty of The femoropopliteal Arteries in The Relief of Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI)

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of femoropopliteal arteries in patients with critical lower limb ischemia; Materials and methods: From June 2006 till May 2008, 40 patients underwent 40 PTA procedures, 18 were of the superficial femoral artery (SFA), 7 of the popliteal artery, 9 of both arteries and 6 of the common femoral artery (CFA). Twenty-nine procedures were performed for treatment of stenoses and 11 for occlusion. The patients were monitored clinically with non-invasive hemodynamic studies. Results: The technical success rate was 97.5%. Overall primary patency rates at 24 months were 67.5%. Primary patency rates in limbs with occlusion were 45.5% compared with 75.9 in limbs with stenoses. Two major amputations were performed. The overall survival rate was 95%. Conclusion: The 2 years results of femoropopliteal PTA performed for treatment of CLI seemed to be near the results of infrainguinal bypass grafting reported in literature. Because PTA does not preclude the performance of future surgery and associated with low morbidity and mortality rates, it should be a first choice treatment for patients with CLI for selected lesions.