Radiology, Vol 181, 57-60, Copyright © 1991 by Radiological Society of North America
Total peripheral artery occlusions: conventional versus laser thermal recanalization with a hybrid probe in percutaneous angioplasty--results of a randomized trial
AM Belli, DC Cumberland, AE Procter and CL Welsh
Department of Radiology, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, England.
Increasing the primary success rate in recanalization of peripheral
vascular occlusions is one aim of using laser techniques in the treatment
of peripheral vascular disease. Although reports of lasers enabling
recanalization after failure of guide wires have been numerous, direct
comparisons of the success of the two techniques in a randomized trial have
been few. The results of a randomized trial showed no statistical
difference in recanalization of femoropopliteal occlusions between the
conventional guide wire and hybrid laser probe. The number of patients with
iliac occlusions was small and comparisons are difficult to make, but the
findings suggest that the hybrid laser probe has little to offer. Immediate
crossover to the alternative method allowed investigation of the
relationship between the two methods in practice. Combining the two methods
improved the primary success rate from 82% to 91% for femoropopliteal
occlusions randomized to laser thermal recanalization and from 74% to 91%
for those randomized to conventional recanalization.
