Popliteal artery interventions

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is one of the major manifestations of systemic atherosclerosis, advancing to critical limb ischemia (CLI) in 1-2% of patients with PAD who are 50 years of age or older. Patients with PAD often have multiple medical comorbidities requiring an array of drugs, conservative management, and invasive therapies. Several options exist for minimally invasive therapy of arterial lesions with balloon angioplasty (PTA), with or without stenting, being the widely accepted endovascular option with high patency rates and low levels of restenosis. The mechanical atherectomy devices are designed to improve the vessel lumen and flow by debulking and removing atherosclerotic plaque with a rotating blade that captures the plaque in a catheter housing and requires intermittent emptying. Endovascular therapies are improving the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous revascularization in the treatment of PAD with a high success rate; however, long femoropopliteal lesions still represent one of the major challenges of endovascular therapy.