When it Comes to Peripheral Arterial Disease, Intervene First
Reported April 5, 2005
NEW ORLEANS (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Instead of plunging into surgery, researchers say interventional treatment should be the first-line therapy for patients suffering with peripheral arterial disease.
PAD, which is basically clogged arteries caused from fatty plaque buildup, causes decreased blood flow to the legs. Walking can be painful — and if not treated, amputation is very possible. In a new study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiologys 30th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans, researchers from the University of Rochester in New York found angioplasty had a 92-percent success rate in treating the superficial femoral artery. SFA are smaller vessels in the legs and are harder to treat and more prone to re-narrow after treatment.
Data were gathered from 1986 to 2004 on 360 patients involving 441 limbs. Patients were treated with angioplasty — with or without stenting. Eight percent (39 procedures) were early failures. However, early failures were most likely seen in patients who had the most severe disease. Early failure of treatment did not compromise the options for a second interventional treatment (surgical bypass).
Angioplasty is used to treat PAD by inflating a balloon to open the narrowed blood vessels in the legs. Sometimes this is held open with a stent. No surgery is required. Nael Saad, M.D., from the University of Rochester, says: Our study shows that angioplasty, with stenting as needed, is highly effective. If it fails, it doesnt affect future treatment options. Patients can have a second angioplasty if they can go on to bypass surgery. Aggressive interventional therapy should be considered in all patients, because they are more likely to avoid amputation.
SOURCE: Stacie Overton at the 30th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology in New Orleans, March 31-April 4, 2005
