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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

A Rat Carotid Artery Pressure-Controlled Segmental Balloon Injury with Periadventitial Therapeutic Application
Published on: July 9, 2020
Vascular occlusion by ruptured balloon after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty
Johannes Gahlen1, Thomas Koeppel, Ruediger L Prosst
1Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Mannheim, Ruprecht-Karls University, Heidelberg, Germany. johannes.gahlen@chir.ma.uni-heidelberg.de
Purpose:
To report a rare case of chronic vascular occlusion by an undetected ruptured balloon fragment following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.
Case Report:
A 79-year-old man suffered from calf claudication 1 year after angioplasty for a short stenosis in the superficial femoral artery. During the femoropopliteal bypass operation, a ruptured angioplasty balloon was retrieved.
Conclusions:
Endovascular treatment of arterial lesions always requires thorough pre and postinterventional check of the applied instrumentation. A damaged catheter must initiate an immediate search for lost intravascular objects.
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