Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusion Research Articles

Recanalization of superficial femoral artery chronic total occlusion through retrograde popliteal approach recanalization of superficial femoral artery chronic total occlusion

PurposeThis retrospective study aims to evaluate the safety, practicality, and efficacy of the independent retrograde popliteal approach for recanalization superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusions when the bilateral common femoral artery approach is unavailable, such as after endovascular aneurysm repair or common iliac artery stenting. MethodsThis treatment was considered for patients with contralateral iliac artery occlusion, severe iliac tortuosity, or those who had previously undergone endovascular aneurysm repair or common iliac stenting. Patients with SFA lesions extending into the P1–P2 segment of the popliteal artery or with calcification in the P3 segment were excluded. Angioplasty and stenting were conducted via the popliteal artery approach, with hemostasis at the puncture site achieved using an EXOSEAL vascular closure device. Patients were routinely followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months, and annually thereafter. ResultsForty-eight consecutive patients with SFA occlusion who underwent endovascular treatment via the retrograde popliteal artery approach were included in this study. Retrograde puncture of the popliteal artery was successful in all cases. Six-French sheaths were utilized in all procedures. The EXOSEAL vascular closure device was successfully applied in all 48 cases. No instances of pseudoaneurysms, arteriovenous fistulas, major bleeding, or embolic complications were observed. The technical success rate for SFA recanalization was 100 %. All patients experienced clinical improvement. The ankle-brachial index significantly increased from an initial 0.33 ± 0.11 at admission to 0.81 ± 0.19 at discharge (P < 0.001). The mean follow-up period was 25.1 ± 11.7 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed primary patency rates of 82.5 % at 12 months and 71.8 % at 24 months. No patients required major amputation during the follow-up period. ConclusionThe endovascular treatment of SFA occlusions via the independent retrograde popliteal approach is a viable alternative, demonstrating a low incidence of puncture-related complications and a high success rate of recanalization.

Endovascular Transvenous versus Open Femoropopliteal Bypass.

Background and Objectives: Lower extremity arterial disease is one of the most prevalent manifestations of atherosclerosis. The results from numerous studies regarding the best revascularization method of an occluded superficial femoral artery have been conflicting. The aim of this study was to compare the patency of transvenous endovascular with open femoropopliteal bypass, both with vein and prosthetic grafts. To our knowledge, a direct patency comparison between transvenous endovascular and open femoropopliteal bypass has not been published. This could help elucidate which method is preferable and in which cases. Materials and Methods: Patients with complex TASC-C and D SFA lesions were offered endovascular transvenous or open bypass. A total of 384 consecutive patients with PAD requiring surgical treatment were evaluated for inclusion in this study. Three-year follow-up data were collected for 52 endovascular procedures, 80 prosthetic grafts, and 44 venous bypass surgeries. Bypass patency was investigated by Duplex US every 6 months. Kaplan-Meier plots were used to analyze primary, primary-assisted, and secondary patency for endovascular transvenous, autovenous, and prosthetic bypasses. Results: Primary, primary-assisted, and secondary patency in venous group at 3 years was 70.5%, 77.3%, and 77.3%, respectively. In the endovascular transvenous group, primary, primary-assisted, and secondary patency at 3 years was 46.2%, 69.2%, and 76.9%, respectively. The lowest patency rates at 3 years were noted in the prosthetic graft group with 22.5% primary, 26.6% primary-assisted, and 28.2% secondary patency. Conclusions: The saphenous vein is the best graft to perform in above-the-knee femoropopliteal bypass. Transvenous endovascular bypass is a viable option with comparable primary-assisted and secondary patency. Primary patency is substantially lower for endovascular transvenous compared to venous bypass. Patients treated with endovascular transvenous bypass will require a significant number of secondary procedures to provide optimal patency. Prosthetic grafts should only be used if no other option for bypass is available.

Successful Bail-Out With Vasodilator Injection Using Dilated Over-the-Wire Balloon for Slow-Flow Phenomenon After Drug-Coated Balloon for Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusion.

Successful Bail-Out With Vasodilator Injection Using Dilated Over-the-Wire Balloon for Slow-Flow Phenomenon After Drug-Coated Balloon for Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusion.

Retrograde recanalization for chronic superficial femoral artery occlusion: is it safe and effective as a primary strategy

Amaç: Periferik arter hastalığı (PAH), dünya çapında koroner arter hastalığı ve serebrovasküler olaylardan sonra en sık görülen mortalite ve morbidite nedenlerinden biridir. Kronik tıkalı yüzeyel femoral arter (SFA)’in endovasküler tedavisi (EVT) genellikle antegrad yaklaşımla yönetilir. Retrograd popliteal erişim (RPA), antegrad girişimin başarısız olduğu veya birincil seçenek olarak tercih edildiği durumlarda değerli bir seçenektir. Birinci basamak strateji olarak yüzüstü pozisyonda RPA'nın seçildiği ve rekanalizasyon için perkütanöz kasıtlı ekstralüminal anjiyoplasti (PIER) tekniğinin kullanıldığı hastaları, ileriye doğru girişimin başarısız olduğu ve sırtüstü pozisyonda RPA'nın kullanıldığı hastaları karşılaştırmayı amaçlıyoruz. 15 aylık takip ile rekanalizasyon için çift yönlü “randevous” tekniği kullanıldı.&#x0D; Gereç ve yöntemler: Şubat 2017 ile Nisan 2019 arasında ardışık EVT'leri retrospektif olarak inceledik ve SFA lezyonlarının CTO'sunun rekanalizasyonu için RPA'nın kullanıldığı tüm EVT'leri seçtik. Çalışma, hastaları Grup 1 (n=24) olarak iki gruba ayırdı: Birinci basamak strateji olarak yüzüstü pozisyonda RPA'nın seçildiği ve rekanalizasyon için PIER tekniğinin kullanıldığı hastalar (6F Sheat ile) ve Grup 2 (n= 22): Antegrad girişimin başarısız olduğu ve endolüminal rekanalizasyon ile sırtüstü pozisyonda RPA'nın olduğu veya lezyonu geçerken telin başarısız olduğu hastalar, rekanalizasyon için çift yönlü “çift balon (randevu)” tekniği kullanıldı (Kılıfsız).&#x0D; Bulgular: Teknik başarı oranı %100 oldu. RCC ve ABI her iki grupta da işlem sonrası anlamlı düzeyde iyileşti. Grup 1'de daha fazla hastaya primer stent gerekti (%70,8 vs. %45,4; p0,05). 1 yıllık uzuv kurtarma oranı her iki grup için de 100 ± 0 idi. Grup 2'de primer açıklık oranları grup 1'e göre daha yüksekti ancak bu fark ancak 6. ayda anlamlı hale geldi (grup 1'de sırasıyla %95,8, %87,5, %79,1'e karşı grup 2'de sırasıyla %100, %95,4, %81,8); p

Case Report of Stent Revascularization for Left Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusion

Patients with intermittent claudication may benefit from planned exercise therapy prior to revascularization, whereas those experiencing acute limb ischemia-a medical emergency-need revascularization within hours. The urgency of revascularization varies greatly depending on the patient's presentation. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) can cause symptoms ranging from severe evidence of ischemia (tissue loss, pain during rest) to intermittent claudication, or pain during walking. The author reports the case of a 72-year-old male patient who underwent a stent revascularization (angioplasty) for claudication due to left superficial femoral artery occlusion. The aim of this article is to present the importance of south-south cooperation between Gabon where vascular surgery is not available and Morocco where it is available. Moreover, the author wanted to put the emphasis on the development of partnership with some private clinics in Gabon to develop such surgery.

A patient with acute myocardial infarction with acute lower extremity arterial embolization underwent amputation under general anesthesia.

Acute peripheral and coronary artery embolism are common complications of diabetes mellitus and greatly affect the clinical outcome of patients with diabetes; however, there are few reports about the symptoms and prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and concurrent acute lower extremity arterial embolism (ALEAE). A 44-year-old man with a history of 4 years of type 1 diabetes was admitted to hospital after suddenly experiencing severe pain in his right lower limb and feeling tightness in the left anterior chest area. Ultrasonography revealed distal occlusion of the right superficial femoral artery, and an electrocardiogram showed acute anterior interstitial myocardial infarction. After conservative treatment for 2 days, the patient had severe necrosis of the lower limbs and secondary injury of multiple organs. Haemodialysis and heparin anticoagulant therapy were performed before amputation. Twelve days after the operation, the patient's condition was stable, and he was transferred out of the intensive care unit. If patients with ALEAE miss the opportunity for early treatment, even with AMI, emergency amputation under general anaesthesia is the right strategy to save lives.

JET+PCB strategy in the treatment of superficial femoral artery occlusion: a case report

Сritical limb ischemia (CLI) is becoming more and more common among patients worldwide. This is a comorbid condition, which is accompanied by chronic pain, sometimes trophic ulcers and gangrene, as well as a decrease in the quality of life. Despite the chronic nature of ischemia, the absence of treatment is accompanied by a high incidence of limb amputation and death. Patients with lower limb atherosclerosis had the higher risk of cardiovascular events and death. This publication proposes to consider minimally invasive interventional arterial revascularization in a 63-year-old patient with intermittent claudication, stage III critical limb ischemia, with a history of bilateral superficial femoral artery (SFA) stenting. Control lower limb angiography showed bilateral SFA occlusion and thrombosis. Taking into account the restenosis of the previously implanted stent, JET+PCB strategy was considered: first stage — rotational atherectomy followed by SFA angioplasty with a drug-eluting balloon catheter. The correct choice of minimally invasive surgery method in combination with non-pharmacological (smoking cessation, training walking) and pharmacological methods made it possible to restore viability and preserve the lower limb without negative consequences for the patient's health.

Endovascular Approach to Complex CTO Lesion in a Poor Surgical Candidate

Despite the various uses of endovascular and surgical techniques in management of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), traditional open bypass surgery with vein graft was shown to be more durable in the long term in long segment and heavily calcified lesions per the Best-CLI trial. However, patients with extensive cardiovascular risk factors and poor surgical candidates benefit from an endovascular approach. Endovascular revascularization of long segment lesions is complex and often requires the use of multiple unique techniques. Here, we present a case of a 76-year-old male with complex cardiovascular history with history of partial amputation of the right great toe and fifth toe who presented with non-healing ulcers overlying the right first and fifth distal metatarsals. A 76-year-old man with complex cardiovascular history presented with limited mobility, rest pain, and non-healing ulcers overlying the right first and fifth distal metatarsals. Bilateral common femoral artery (CFA) endarterectomy and lower left extremity angioplasty with stenting was done in the past. Doppler studies demonstrated dampened and flat pulses throughout the right lower extremity. Current computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed occlusion of the right superficial femoral artery (SFA) from the ostium to the P3 segment of the popliteal artery with significant calcification. Through ultrasound-guided left CFA access, a .035 guidewire and sheath were advanced into right distal CFA/proximal SFA and with angiogram confirming CTA results. Through the ultrasound-guided right PTA access and double flossing technique, retrograde V-18 guidewire was advanced into the antegrade Navicross catheter positioned within the right CFA. Subsequently, over the guidewire orbital atherectomy and balloon angioplasty were performed from the distal CFA to the proximal ATA region. With use of intravascular ultrasound for vessel diameter measurement, self-expanding stents were placed from the proximal SFA to the distal popliteal region. Final angiogram demonstrated an improvement of luminal diameter with less than 30% stenosis through the right lower extremity. Patient was started on Xarelto and aspirin. Multimodal endovascular technical approaches such as double-crossing flossing technique, controlled antegrade and retrograde tracking (CART) and reverse CART technique, and synapse rendezvous technique help with management of complex long segment occlusions. The case above demonstrates the use of double-crossing flossing technique in successful revascularization of a patient with end-stage CLI.Fig 2View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Repeated acute lower limb ischemia due to complete occlusion of an artificial vessel graft: A case report

In cases involving an occluded artificial blood vessel graft, thrombosis of the vessel can cause lower limb ischemia. When thromboembolism develops, it is essential to rule out the complete occlusion of an artificial blood vessel graft as the cause. A 60-year-old woman with bilateral superficial femoral artery occlusion underwent femoral-popliteal bypass surgery. Six months later, left vascular prosthesis occlusion occurred; 1.5 years later, an occlusive embolus developed in the deep femoral artery. The proximal prosthesis aspect was detached from the native vessel. The limb was salvaged with bypass surgery.

Duplex-Guided Ipsilateral Antegrade Approach for Flush Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusion.

Recanalization of flush ostial superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusion is a very challenging procedure. Using the ipsilateral antegrade approach in such lesions has some difficulties. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, efficacy, and outcomes of duplex-guided ipsilateral antegrade access for endovascular treatment of atherosclerotic flush occlusion of the SFA. This is a prospective two-center study that included chronic lower extremity ischemia patients with flush occlusion of SFA who underwent duplex-guided ipsilateral antegrade endovascular revascularization due to unfeasible contralateral femoral approach. Flush occlusions were preoperatively documented by duplex ultrasound and computed tomography angiography in all patients. The outcome measures were technical success, patency rates, perioperative morbidity and mortality, limb salvage, and amputation free survival rates. Between April 2019 and March 2021, 49 patients were enrolled in the current study with a mean age of 63.7 ± 5.7years. Diabetes was the most common risk factor and was found in 40 (81.6%) patients. Associated popliteal lesions were found in seven (14.3%) patients, while 10 (20.4%) patients had combined tibial disease. Selective stenting was done in nine (18.4%) patients. Technical success was achieved in 43 (87.8%) patients. All failures were due to inability to cross the lesion rather than failure to access the common femoral artery. All complications were minor and occurred in seven (14.3%) patients. Primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates were 63.9% ± 7.1%, 82.8% ± 5.6%, and 93.5% ± 3.7% at 12months, respectively. The overall 12-month limb salvage and amputation free survival rates were 91.8% and 83.3% ± 5.4%, respectively. Duplex-guided ipsilateral antegrade femoral access is a feasible, safe, and effective endovascular treatment option for flush SFA occlusion when contralateral femoral access is not possible.

A Case of Cauterized Tissue Using Laser Photoablation for In-Stent Occlusion of Superficial Femoral Artery

A Case of Cauterized Tissue Using Laser Photoablation for In-Stent Occlusion of Superficial Femoral Artery

Post-Covid-19 Recurrent Lower Limb Ischemia in Healty Young Patient

Background: Although SARS-CoV-2 infection is primarily a respiratory illness, complications such as arterial and venous thromboembolism have been reported during acute infection and in the period after its resolution.Methods: We report the case of a 33-year-old male, previously healthy patient with acute recurrent unilateral arterial thrombosis of the leg occurring one month after a mild Covid-19 infection.Results: The patient has recently been diagnosed with essential hypertension and did not have other known risk factors for arterial thrombosis. He presented to the Emergency Department with a pale left foot and absent dorsal pedal pulse and after confirmed arterial occlusion by Doppler ultrasound, he underwent urgent thromboembolectomy. The following day a computed tomography angiogram showed recurrent thrombosis of the superficial femoral artery which was then resolved in an Angio-suite by balloon dilatation. Three months later he experienced another occlusion of the left superficial femoral artery based on pronounced neointimal hyperplasia and again underwent endarterectomy with patch plastic.Conclusion: SARS-Cov-2 infection should be considered a risk factor in the development of both arterial and venous thrombo-sis during the acute phase and in the post-infective period

Endovascular treatment of Buerger's disease in patients with critical limb ischaemia.

Thromboangitis obliteransis (TAO) is a nonatherosclerotic, inflammatory, occlusive arteritis that affects small and medium-sized arteries, veins and nerves. A large proportion of patients with TAO suffer from claudication, and the ultimate condition is gangrene and limb loss if there is no treatment or the cessation of smoking. Endovascular revascularisations are performed frequently and provide acceptable results in patients who are not suitable for surgery. In this study, we aimed to show our clinical experience in patients with TAO who were treated with endovascular revascularisation. Between January 2014 and March 2020, 18 patients with lower-extremity critical limb ischaemia (CLI) underwent endovascular treatment (ET). Technical details and clinical success at follow up were documented. This study included 18 patients with lower-extremity TAO who presented with CLI and were treated with ET. The mean age of the patients was 38.8 ± 7.3 years. Fifty per cent of patients had pain at rest, 33.7% had minor tissue loss and non-healing ulcers, and 16.7% had major tissue loss on admission. The majority of lesions were located in the peroneal and tibial arteries (n = 13, 72.27percnt;). Two (11.1%) patients had distal superficial femoral artery occlusion concomitant with popliteal artery (PA) lesions, and three (16.7%) had PA occlusion concomitant with peroneal and tibial artery lesions. Re-establishment of antegrade flow in at least one vessel was achieved in 15 (83.3%) patients. Balloon angioplasty was performed in all patients. Plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) was used in nine (60%) patients and drug-eluting balloon (DEB) angioplasty in six (40%). The mean duration of follow up in 15 patient who had undergone successful ET was 21.5 ± 8.1 months. The primary CLI-free rate at 12 and 24 months was 80% (66.7% in all patients). Secondary CLI-free rates at six, 12 and 24 months were 100, 93.3 and 53.3%, respectively. Patients who were active smokers during their follow up had a higher frequency of out-patient clinic consultations (p = 0.03). Controversy has continued on the role of ET in the treatment of TAO. This study shows that ET of TAO had promising primary and secondary patency rates with high technical success and limb-salvage rates.

One-Year Results of Long femoropopliteal Lesions Stenting with Fasciotomy Lamina Vastoadductoria

Fasciotomy can increase the mobility of the superficial femoral artery and decrease the incidence of stent fractures. This study aimed to compare the long-term patency of drug-eluting nitinol stents with and without fasciotomy in patients with prolonged superficial femoral artery occlusions. A randomized clinical trial was conducted in 60 (1:1) patients with long femoropopliteal steno-occlusive lesions >200mm. Patients in group 1 (Zilver) underwent recanalization of femoropopliteal artery occlusion with stenting. In group 2 (ZilverFas), the femoropopliteal occlusion was recanalized with stenting and fasciotomy of Gunter's canal. The follow-up assessment of the patency took place after 6-12months. Twelve-month primary patency in Zilver and ZilverFas groups was 51% and 80%, respectively (P=0.02). The freedom from target lesion revascularization in the Zilver and ZilverFas groups was 50% and 76%, respectively (P=0.04). At 1 year, primary-assisted patency and secondary patency for the ZilverFas and Zilver groups were 83% vs. 62% (P=0.07) and 86% vs. 65% (P=0.05), respectively. In the Zilver and ZilverFas groups, the number of stent fractures was 14 and 7, respectively (P=0.05). The multivariable Cox regression indicated that the stent fracture and diabetes mellitus were independent predictors of restenosis and reocclusion. Fasciotomy reduced the risk of reocclusion and restenosis by 2.94 times. Our study has shown that decompressing the stented segment with fasciotomy significantly improves the patency of the femoropopliteal segment and significantly reduces the number and severity of stent fractures.

Superficial femoral artery calcification segmentation and detection in CT angiography using convolutional neural network

PurposeCalcification detection and segmentation in CT angiography (CTA) is the basis of preoperative calcification assessment and treatment determination in endovascular interventional surgery for lower-extremity atherosclerotic occlusion disease. However, the complex calcification-lumen contrast and difficult-to-locate occluded superficial femoral artery (SFA) make it challenging. This paper proposes a fast and accurate method without artery extraction to segment and detect SFA calcification in CTA using a convolutional neural network. MethodThe thigh region containing the target SFA is first automatically extracted based on the human anatomical position. Then, 3D Unet with a large receptive field is used to segment calcifications in image patches with a large field of view. The lumen label is introduced and a calcification-lumen contrast data augmentation method is developed to improve the segmentation performance on images with varying calcification-lumen contrast. Finally, false-positive errors far from the SFA are eliminated based on the SFA centerline estimated from the segmentation results. ResultsFive-fold cross validation experiments were conducted on a local dataset of CTA images containing 128 SFAs. The average Dice scores of calcification segmentation on the entire, occluded and non-occluded arteries achieved 89.12%, 92.98% and 88.96%, respectively. The average recall and precision of calcification detection on each slice were 93.50% and 91.51%, respectively. The total processing time was about 2 min. ConclusionsThis paper proposes a CNN-based method to segment and detect SFA calcification in CTA without artery extraction for varying calcification-lumen intensity contrast and arterial occlusion situations. The work can be used to improve clinical calcification analysis.

Abstract No. 520 Recanalization of complex SFA/popliteal artery CTOs utilizing rendezvous techniques from an anterior fluoroscopically guided, retrograde popliteal access

Subintimal recanalization of chronic superficial femoral artery (SFA) and Popliteal artery (PA) occlusions has a reported failure rate of up to 20% from the traditional antegrade approach. Here we report our experiences performing recanalization of challenging SFA and/or PA occlusions utilizing rendezvous techniques and retrograde popliteal artery access from an anterior fluoroscopically guided approach.

Superficial femoral artery chronic total occlusion crossing strategies

Objectives: Superficial femoral artery (SFA) endovascular intervention procedures are one of the most common peripheral artery interventions (PAI) in the lower extremities around the world. Chronic total occlusions (CTO) are extremely common in this vascular bed, accounting for approximately 40–50% of all lesions treated. One of the most crucial decisions an operator must make for a good chronic total occlusion (CTO) recanalization is selecting the right catheter vascular access site. Methods: A prospective, cohort, study conducted on 30 patients to evaluate the safety and efficacy of different strategies for crossing the chronic total occlusion of superficial femoral artery. Results: There was statistically significant difference found between crossing techniques regarding DM and combined DM and dyslipidemia. Conclusion: Correlation of CTOP classification with larger sample size may show importance and improve crossing strategies.

Computational Fluid Dynamics for the Prediction of Endograft Thrombosis in the Superficial Femoral Artery

Purpose: Contemporary diagnostic modalities, including contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CTA) and duplex ultrasound, have been insufficiently able to predict endograft thrombosis. This study introduces an implementation of image-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD), by exemplification with 4 patients treated with an endograft for occlusive disease of the superficial femoral artery (SFA). The potential of personalized CFD for predicting endograft thrombosis is investigated. Materials and Methods: Four patients treated with endografts for an occluded SFA were retrospectively included. CFD simulations, based on CTA and duplex ultrasound, were compared for patients with and without endograft thrombosis to investigate potential flow-related causes of endograft thrombosis. Time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) was computed, which highlights areas of prolonged residence times of coagulation factors in the graft. Results: CFD simulations demonstrated normal TAWSS (>0.4 Pa) in the SFA for cases 1 and 2, but low levels of TAWSS (<0.4 Pa) in cases 3 and 4, respectively. Primary patency was achieved in cases 1 and 2 for over 2 year follow-up. Cases 3 and 4 were complicated by recurrent endograft thrombosis. Conclusion: The presence of a low TAWSS was associated with recurrent endograft thrombosis in subjects with otherwise normal anatomic and ultrasound assessment and a good distal run-off.

Superficial Femoral Artery Access for Infrainguinal Antegrade Endovascular Interventions in the Hostile Groin: A Prospective Randomized Study

In a hostile groin, it may be difficult to perform antegrade endovascular procedures at the lower extremities using the ipsilateral common femoral artery as vascular access; therefore, the use of the ipsilateral superficial femoral artery (SFA) could be a useful alternative. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility and safety of ultrasound-guided SFA puncture versus traditional SFA cutdown to achieve arterial access. This prospective observational randomized study examined patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease who required endovascular interventions at the lower extremities. A hostile groin was defined as a high femoral bifurcation, obesity, and surgical scarring due to previous surgical interventions. A 6-Fr sheath (12cm long; ULTIMUM EV INTRODUCER; Abbott, Plymouth, MN, USA) was used in all procedures. In the percutaneous group, the puncture was performed under ultrasound guidance and hemostasis was performed using a percutaneous closure device (PCD) (ANGIO-SEAL VIP 6-Fr; Terumo Medical Corporation, Somerset, NJ, USA). The primary end points were technical success and perioperative complications. The secondary end points were the time required for the management of vascular access and the type of anesthesia administered. Between 2020 and 2021, 107 patients who underwent antegrade revascularization were enrolled. SFA was achieved in 50 cases by the femoral cutdown technique (c-group) and in 57 cases by percutaneous ultrasound-guided puncture (p-group). In the c-group, the time from incision to sheath introduction and the time of suturing the artery and wound closure was 35±8min. In the p-group, the time from skin puncture and sheath placement plus that from the sheath removal and hole closure with the PCD was 6±3min. For the c-group versus p-group, the following variables were as follows: high bifurcation, 10 vs. 6 cases (P = 0.2); severe obesity, 33 vs. 40 cases (P = 0.46); and previous surgical groin interventions, 7 vs. 9 cases (P=0.53), respectively. The technical success rates were 100% vs. 96.49% for the c-group versus p-group, respectively (P = 0.63). Two percutaneous puncture failures were managed using the cutdown technique. In the p-group, 2 postprocedural hematomas were recorded, with only one requiring surgical treatment and 2 with SFA occlusion to intravascular cap hemostatic dislocation, which were subjected to surgical revision. A total of 3 percutaneous procedures in the p-group required surgical revision versus none in the c-group (P=0.1). Within 3months, complications consisted of 6 cases of surgical wound complications in the c-group versus none in the p-group (P = 0.009). All procedures in the p-group versus 72% of patients in the c-group were managed with local anesthesia (P<0.0001). The femoral cutdown technique seems to be a safe and successful approach for achieving vascular access in cases of hostile groin. Ultrasound-guided puncture and PCD make SFA puncture a successful and safe alternative with an acceptable complications rate. Moreover, it reduces the time required to manage vascular access and can be performed mainly under local anesthesia.

Risk Factor Analysis for Crossing Failure in Primary Antegrade Wire-Catheter Approach for Femoropopliteal Chronic Total Occlusions

Introduction: Antegrade wire-catheter crossing remains the primary approach for femoropopliteal interventions. Nonetheless, data reporting on crossing failure are limited. Aim of this study is to identify risk factors for antegrade crossing failure in patients with femoropopliteal chronic total occlusions (CTOs). Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective analysis. Patients with femoropopliteal CTOs treated between May 2018 and February 2020 were included into this study. Primary endpoint of this analysis was primary crossing success defined as successful antegrade crossing without the use of retrograde access, crossing or re-entry devices. The assisted crossing success was additionally analyzed. A logistic regression analysis identified risk factors for failed primary antegrade crossing. Results: Data from 300 patients were analyzed. The majority (n=183, 61%) presented with lifestyle limiting claudication. The mean lesion length was 180 mm [interquartile range (IQR) 100–260 mm], whereas the median CTO length was 100 mm (IQR=50–210 mm). A chronic total occlusion crossing approach based on plaque morphology (CTOP) type I configuration was observed in 9% (n=26) of the lesions, type II in 61% (n=183), type III in 8% (n=25), and type IV in 66 CTOs (n= 66, 22%). Severe calcification based on the Peripheral Arterial Calcium Scoring Scale (PACSS), Peripheral Academic Research Consortium (PARC), and 360° grading systems was identified in 17%, 24%, and 28% of the lesions, respectively. A contralateral femoral access was used in 278 cases (93%). The primary crossing success amounted to 70% (n=210). The use of a re-entry device in 28 patients (9%) or of a combined antegrade–retrograde approach in 11% (n=34) of the cases increased the assisted crossing success to 89% (n=267). The presence of calcification (odds ratio [OR]=4.2, 95% CI=1.7–10.2) or of circumferential calcium (OR=2.5, 95% CI=1.3–4.9), a CTOP class ΙΙΙ or ΙV (OR=1.9, 95% CI=1.4–2.6), a proximal superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusion (OR=3.5, 95% CI=1.7–7.4) and a CTO at P3 (OR=4.1, 95% CI=1.5–10.8) were associated with an increased risk for antegrade crossing failure. Conclusions: In this study, chronic total occlusions (CTO) morphology, calcification burden, and lesion’s location were identified as independent risk factors for failed antegrade crossing. Nonetheless, the use of alternative crossing strategies significantly increased the overall crossing success.