Current status of percutaneous vascular procedures

The current nonsurgical therapeutic options for patients with peripheral vascular disease are rapidly expanding. No longer is conservative management the only alternative for patients with significantly symptomatic but noncritical limb ischemia. Certainly for vascular disease above the inguinal ligament interventional procedures especially with adjunctive stent placement have excellent success and long term patency. Femoropopliteal vascular disease of relatively limited nature also is well-treated with interventional procedures. Infrapopliteal vascular disease treated with a surgical venous bypass appears to have superior results than intervention. However, for poor surgical risk patients or in patients without the necessary venous conduit, limb salvage is still good with a percutaneous approach. Renal artery stenosis appears now to be well treated with interventional techniques. Early data with up to one year follow-up shows that even ostial stenoses respond well when vascular stents are utilized. Extending the life of failing hemodialysis grafts is another area where interventional techniques are of benefit. In the future, more extensive vascular disease and other vascular disease entities such as cerebrovascular disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm may be successfully treated by a percutaneous approach.